Number of overseas Chinese surpasses 45 million

The number of overseas Chinese has exceeded 45 million, ranking first in absolute quantity worldwide, said Xu Yousheng, deputy director of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council.

Xu said this during the "16th Gathering for Overseas Chinese from Zhejiang and the Celebration for the Presidents of Overseas Chinese Professional Associations to Visit the Shanghai World Expo from the Yangtze River Delta," held in Hangzhou of Zhejiang.

"Among the 45 million overseas Chinese, many new overseas Chinese live in Europe," said Xu. This phenomenon has caused concern from foreign politicians.

"I expressed my opinions when a member of parliament from Canada asked me about China's attitude towards the new overseas Chinese. First, we should respect them, because the migration right is an important part of human rights. Of course, they should immigrate to other countries legally. Second, we should protect their legitimate rights in foreign countries. Third, we should guide them to respect the local laws, integrate into the local society and make contributions to the local economy," said Xu.

By People's Daily Online