Chinese Vice-Premier Qian Qichen said at the National Overseas Chinese Affairs Conference Wednesday that overseas Chinese are assured of having their legitimate rights well protected in their motherland. With China's accession into the World Trade Organization (WTO), overseas Chinese will have more frequent and closer cooperation and exchanges with the motherland than ever, Qian said.  
Qian urges guarantee of legitimate rights of overseas Chinese
The three-day meeting drew over 160 representatives from overseas Chinese affairs offices nationwide. Qian urged the offices to coordinate with local governments to guarantee the legitimate rights of overseas Chinese, which will also be conducive to creating a favorable investment environment in the country.

The vice premier said that overseas compatriots are an important contributor to China's social productivity and an indispensable power in rejuvenating the Chinese nation and the reunification of the motherland.


Overseas Chinese praised for role in nation development
The work of the country's overseas Chinese affairs is important to exert the initiative of over 30 million overseas Chinese, he said.

He praised overseas Chinese for their role in accelerating China's opening-up and rejuvenating the nation with scientific advances and education as well as in the strategic development of west China, their efforts towards anti-separatism and in Beijing's bid for the 2008 Olympic Games.

At the meeting, Qian also stressed the importance of promoting the teaching of Chinese abroad, and said that this will not only satisfy the eagerness of overseas Chinese, especially the younger generations, to learn Chinese and the Chinese culture, but also help promote friendly ties between the countries they live in and the motherland.


China's overseas policies proved to be right
Over the past year, China has sustained an economic growth above 7 percent, won the bid to host the Olympic Games, made the WTO entry and successfully hosted the APEC informal leadership meeting in Shanghai.

Qian said that all these achievements have proved the rightness and effectiveness of the country's domestic and overseas policies, which keep to the unswerving implementation centering on economic construction, adhering to the Four Cardinal Principals and to the basic lines of reform and opening up to the outside as well as the independent foreign policy of peace.

Qian said that at the start of the new century, the world is in a turbulent state and overshadowed by the September 11 terrorism attack. The global economic growth has slowed down after 10 consecutive years of growth. However, peace and development are still sought by people everywhere, he added, pointing out that China faces more opportunities than challenges in the current situation.