The 12th Guangdong Provincial Congress of Returned Overseas and Their Family Members opened in Guangzhou on the morning of February 10.  

At the opening ceremony, Zhang Qinwei, Chairman of the Guangdong Emirates Business Union, delivered a congratulatory speech as a representative of the overseas Chinese community. He is part of the new generation of overseas Chinese who grew up and developed during the era of reform and opening up, venturing abroad to make his own way.

The 12th Guangdong Provincial Congress of Returned Overseas and Their Family Members is held in Guangzhou.
Zhang Qinwei shared that in 2001, he embarked on a journey with knitted products from his hometown, first "drifting north" to Russia and then to the United Arab Emirates. He became one of the key Guangdong merchants who brought products from Guangdong to the Middle East at the beginning of the 21st century.

Additionally, Zhang and his fellow overseas Chinese actively immersed themselves in the local community, founding the Guangdong Emirates Business Union and Hometown Association, which now boasts more than 600 member companies. At present, over 1,200 Guangdong-based companies have established international market channels for their products through these platforms, which have not only driven the export of "Made in Guangdong" products worth hundreds of billions of yuan but also have made "Guangdong Products" shine on the international market.
Zhang Qinwei, Chairman of Guangdong Emirates Business Union

"Through this congress, I hope to encourage more overseas Chinese entrepreneurs to invest in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area." In the interview, he expressed that the Greater Bay Area has a competitive edge in scientific and technological innovation in high-tech industries, talent acquisition, and other areas that overseas Chinese are particularly drawn to. He hopes that overseas Chinese can act as a bridge that promotes the export of advantageous industries, capacities, and products and deepens international exchange and cooperation in fields such as the industrial chain, supply chain, innovation chain, science and technology, and culture.

Tang Danling, Director of the Guangdong Engineering Technology Research Center of Modern Marine Ranching, and Professor at the Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), is a returned overseas Chinese scientific researcher from a six-generation overseas Chinese family. She shared her deep-rooted connection with the overseas Chinese community at the opening ceremony.

Tang once received a scholarship for outstanding children of returned overseas Chinese from the Guangdong Provincial Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese during her graduate studies.  
  Tang Danling, Director of Guangdong Engineering Technology Research Center of Modern Marine Ranching

Tang has devoted herself to the research and development of marine ranching. As President of the Pan Ocean Remote Sensing Conference and the Pacific Congress on Marine Science and Technology, she promotes international scientific and technological exchanges and cooperation, cultivating, and bringing more high-level talent to Guangdong.

"Many excellent programs are being launched in Guangdong Province, which is highly attractive to overseas Chinese who wish to return and develop." In the interview, Tang said that Guangdong has a strong appeal to overseas young talent, and recently several doctoral and postdoctoral researchers joined her team. She is also committed to helping new overseas Chinese navigate challenges and keep up with relevant new policies, so that old and new overseas Chinese can connect and support each other.

Reporter | Wu Caiqian

Photos | Liang Zijian

Translator |  Tang Xinyi (Intern), Bai Xinyi (Intern)

Editor | Liu Lingzhi, James, Shen He