China calls on lawmakers to expedite diaspora legislation

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) - The Chinese government has called on lawmakers to press forward on legislation that seeks to “protect the rights and interests” of its booming diaspora.

The Stace Council, China’s de facto cabinet, on Tuesday proposed “expediting legislation on the protection of the rights and interests of overseas Chinese,” state-run Xinhua News reported.

A national law for the “protection of the rights and interests of overseas Chinese has yet to be put into place,” the council said.

“Efforts will be redoubled to strengthen the public service system for overseas Chinese,” the State Council said in a report on Chinese diaspora to the country's top legislature for review.

The report is under deliberation at an ongoing session of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress.

China boasts of a Chinese diaspora population of more than 60 million spread across nearly 200 countries and regions.

“Services for overseas Chinese will be brought into the national public service plan to ensure inclusive and equitable access to public services among overseas Chinese, returned Chinese, and relatives of overseas Chinese nationals living in China,” the report said.

Over the last eight years, since 2015, several provinces across China, including Guangdong, Fujian, Shanghai, and Hubei, introduced regulations regarding diaspora.

Saying that several countries including Russia, South Korea, Indonesia, the Philippines, and India “have advanced legislation for their overseas nationals,” the council noted: “These international practices have provided a useful reference for China to better protect overseas Chinese through legislation.”

In 1990, China passed its Law on the Protection of the Rights and Interests of Returned Overseas Chinese and the Family Members of Overseas Chinese. It was amended in 2000.

Beijing’s push for diaspora legislation also comes amid reports of overseas Chinese police stations alleged to “intimate people.” China, however, rejects the claims, saying such stations help Chinese citizens with issues like renewing their driver's licenses.