Overseas Chinese affairs of the People's Republic of China

Abstract

Overseas Chinese Affairs work is concerned with the 13 million Chinese who live outside China’s borders, and with some 11 million 'domestic Overseas Chinese', the dependants and relatives who reside in China, Since the Chinese abroad are not within the direct jurisdiction of the Chinese government, administration of external policy has to depend on various forms of communication, which are for the most part indirect, and of which the most important is the domestic Overseas Chinese. The administrative organisations for Overseas Chinese work are concerned primarily with the domestic Overseas Chinese, although the ultimate justification for the existence of the category of domestic Overseas Chinese is policy towards the Chinese abroad. The Chinese Communist Party's policies for domestic Overseas Chinese provide important indications of its intentions towards the Chinese abroad. The CCP's external policy since 19^9 reflects an evolving awareness of the problems and potential of the Overseas Chinese, if there has been an 'Overseas Chinese problem' in Southeast Asia, it has also been a problem to the CCP. In the first two years of its rule, the party appears to have believed that the Overseas Chinese could be exploited successfully in the pursuit of its political objectives in Southeast Asia. There were, however, few positive initiatives until the end of 1954. In the period from 1949 to 1954, the Chinese abroad were expected to support the party's internal reforms and foreign policies; domestic Overseas Chinese were allowed some privileges, and in most respects were made to conform with policies for the Chinese masses. External propaganda tended to echo the policies of the Kuomintang, overlaid with the language of communism and internationalism» Although there were few initiatives in the period, the party appears to have formed some opinions which were important in shaping the post — 1954 policy; In particular, the failure of the Malayan insurgency appears to have alerted the party to the possible limitations of Overseas Chinese revolution. Show more