New legislation proposed to protect overseas Chinese

BEIJING, April 25 (Xinhua) -- China's State Council has proposed expediting legislation on the protection of the rights and interests of overseas Chinese in its report submitted to the country's top legislature for review.

A national law dedicated to the protection of the rights and interests of overseas Chinese has yet to be put into place, according to the report on the work related to Chinese nationals overseas, which is under deliberation at the ongoing session of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress.

There are currently more than 60 million Chinese residing in nearly 200 countries and regions, according to the report.

Since 2015, 10 of the provincial-level regions across China, including Guangdong, Fujian, Shanghai, and Hubei, have introduced their respective regulations on the protection of overseas Chinese, gaining practical experience in promoting national legislation in this regard, the report noted.

Countries around the world, including Russia, the Republic of Korea, Indonesia, the Philippines, and India have advanced legislation for their overseas nationals, which in turn has played a positive role in promoting these countries' economic and social development, overseas talent import, and inheritance of national culture, the report said.

These international practices have provided a useful reference for China to better protect overseas Chinese through legislation, according to the report.

China adopted the Law on the Protection of the Rights and Interests of Returned Overseas Chinese and the Family Members of Overseas Chinese in 1990, which went through amendment in 2000.