Definition and treatment of overseas Chinese and Chinese nationals working in the overseas united front

Overseas Chinese and Chinese have close ties but also have differences in principles. The two cannot be equated. Therefore, their work must strictly implement the central government's guidelines and policies.

The key points of the basic policy on overseas Chinese work are:

(1) Overseas Chinese are Chinese citizens, and the Chinese government has the power and obligation to protect the legitimate rights and interests of overseas Chinese;

(2) The Chinese government has the obligation to remind overseas Chinese to abide by local laws and live in friendship with the local people;

(3) Encourage overseas Chinese to contribute to the development of economic, cultural, and scientific exchanges between China and the government of the country where they live and contribute to exchanges and cooperation in other fields.

When working with foreign Chinese, we must pay attention to policy boundaries. Our work with them does not belong to the category of overseas Chinese work, but to the category of friendship with people of all countries. It has close ties with but also has principled differences with the Overseas Chinese Patriotic United Front. But they are different from ordinary foreigners. We must respect their national sentiments, care about their situation, provide them with necessary moral support in accordance with international norms in their just struggle against racial persecution and fight for equal ethnic rights, and encourage them to integrate into local society. , contribute to the development of the naturalized country, and play a bridging role in the friendship between the naturalized country and our country. Zhou Enlai once made a vivid and appropriate metaphor, saying that overseas Chinese obtain the nationality of the country where they live, just like when a daughter marries or a man marries someone, they are still relatives. This is a new addition to the country of residence and a new relative to China. It can be said that the relationship between the Chinese as foreigners and us does belong to the category of friendship with people of all countries and is a relationship of friends; but as descendants of the Chinese nation, the Chinese and us are relatives and belong to the category of overseas united front work. In dealing with them, we should adhere to the six-character policy of friendship, cooperation and exchange.

Since the reform and opening up, as many as one million people have immigrated abroad in our country. It is customary to call these people "new immigrants". Because they are deeply influenced by the traditional culture of the Chinese nation and are inextricably linked to their original place of residence, they also hope that China will become more prosperous and powerful and that the motherland will be reunified as soon as possible. Strengthening work with new immigrants is of great significance to promoting my country's modernization drive, realizing the reunification of the motherland, expanding my country's influence, and developing relations between my country and the countries where they are located.

The work on new immigrants should be carried out in the spirit of "high attention, broad unity, highlighting key points, active guidance, and enthusiastic service" and should be carried out at different levels according to characteristics. On the basis of equal treatment and broad solidarity, we will focus on doing a good job in the work of people and associations with higher levels who have entered the local mainstream society and have development prospects. Through the protection of rights and interests, support services, cooperation and exchanges, and the cultivation of cohesion, they have gradually become a new force in unifying the motherland and revitalizing China.

Carrying out overseas new immigration work is a new field that has emerged in recent years and a new development in overseas united front work. It deserves our serious attention and active guidance in the process of investigation and research.