What is overseas Chinese?

Overseas Chinese are natural persons with China nationality who are designated to live abroad.

Overseas Chinese are citizens of People's Republic of China (PRC), enjoying the rights of citizens of China and fulfilling their corresponding obligations according to law. The Constitution of China clearly stipulates that it is the responsibility of the China government to protect the legitimate rights and interests of overseas Chinese.

Overseas Chinese do not include those who travel and visit abroad, workers and technicians sent by the government to other countries to assist in construction, public servants and overseas students sent by the state. People of China descent who have joined or acquired foreign nationality cannot be regarded as overseas Chinese.

According to the statistics of China International Migration Report (20 15), there are more than 60 million overseas Chinese living in 198 countries and regions around the world.

The origin of the word "overseas Chinese";

"Hua" is the ancient name of China, and "Overseas Chinese" means living as a stranger or a guest. In ancient China, people living in other countries were called "overseas Chinese" and "overseas Chinese". With the rapid increase of the number of people living abroad, the words "Hua" and "Overseas Chinese" have been linked together to address China people living abroad.

1878, Chen Lanbin, Minister of the Qing Dynasty to the United States, called China people living abroad "expatriates" in his memorial. "Expatriate" has become a special term. 1883, Zheng used the word "overseas Chinese" in his memorial to Li Hongzhang.

1904, the foreign affairs department of the Qing government mentioned in a petition about setting up consulates overseas that "setting up consulates overseas costs little and overseas Chinese benefit a lot." Since then, the word "overseas Chinese" has become a special name for China people living abroad.

Reference to the above content: Baidu Encyclopedia-Overseas Chinese