This year's Conference on Overseas Chinese Pioneering and Developing in China opened in Wuhan, capital city of Central China's Hubei province, on Nov 19.

Gu Shengzu, vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), speaks at this year’s Conference on Overseas Chinese Pioneering and Developing in China on Nov 19 in Wuhan, capital city of Central China’s Hubei province. [Photo/ cppcc.gov.cn]

In the meeting's opening speech, Gu Shengzu, vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), stressed uniting the vast number of overseas Chinese to realize the Chinese dream and help foster the new development pattern of "dual circulation". Their active participation in that pattern, in which domestic market is the mainstay and domestic and international markets reinforce each other, will help to protect the global village and build a community with a shared future for mankind. 

The opening ceremony of this year's Conference on Overseas Chinese Pioneering and Developing in China is held in Wuhan, capital city of Central China's Hubei province, on Nov 19.

Pan Yue, deputy head of the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee and head of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council, praised overseas Chinese's role in supporting the nation's modernization, inheriting fine traditional Chinese culture, and promoting interaction between Chinese and Western civilizations.

Pan suggested the conference should serve as a platform for overseas Chinese to play their part in national development strategies, unite their talents and resources, empower the nation's reform, offer political advice, and promote mutual learning between different civilizations. 

Initiated in 2001, the Hubei-based Conference on Overseas Chinese Pioneering and Developing in China has grown into a brand event to attract talents and capital for the overseas Chinese affairs system across the country. Talents and investors meet at the conference and help realize win-win cooperation in central and western regions in China. It has also become a calling card of opening-up for Hubei. 

This year's event was sponsored by the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office, the provincial government of Hubei and the Wuhan municipal government. In addition to the opening ceremony, forums and themed activities were also held.