BEIJING, July 28 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged pooling the strength of overseas Chinese and those who have returned to China to contribute to building China into a strong country and advancing national rejuvenation.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks in an instruction on work related to Chinese nationals overseas.

Xi called for fully implementing the Party's policies on work related to Chinese nationals overseas and encouraging overseas Chinese, as well as returned overseas Chinese and their families, to leverage their unique strengths in support of the cause of national reunification.

The national conference on work related to Chinese nationals overseas was held in Beijing from Monday to Tuesday, during which Xi's instruction was conveyed.

Wang Huning, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, attended the conference and delivered a speech.

Xi's instruction sets the direction and provides important guidance for work related to Chinese nationals overseas on the new journey in the new era, Wang said, urging efforts to promote the high-quality development in the field in the new era.

More than 60 million Chinese residing in nearly 200 countries and regions, together with over 40 million returned overseas Chinese and their family members in China, have helped drive China's development while promoting Chinese culture and deepening international exchanges and cooperation.

Xi has placed great importance on work related to Chinese nationals overseas.

During an inspection tour of the city of Shantou in October 2020, he visited a museum dedicated to qiaopi -- letters and remittance documents sent home by overseas Chinese. The city in south China's Guangdong Province is one of the country's most important hometowns of overseas Chinese, with about 15 million people and their descendants tracing their roots there.

"China's reform, opening up and development would not have been possible without the many overseas Chinese who have always cared deeply about their homeland and motherland," Xi said after hearing the curator's introduction.

Patriotism and attachment to their homeland are defining characteristics of overseas Chinese, Xi said. Despite enduring hardship and struggling to build new lives abroad, they have continued to care about their hometowns and families after establishing themselves in their countries of residence.

Recognizing overseas Chinese as an important force in national rejuvenation, the Party Central Committee has, over the years, strengthened and improved work related to Chinese nationals overseas. Through institutional reforms, a mechanism for collaboration on work related to Chinese nationals overseas has been improved.

Authorities across China have integrated support for overseas Chinese with major national strategies in areas such as education, science and technology, talent development, innovation-driven growth and coordinated regional development, while encouraging greater contributions of overseas Chinese capital, expertise and talent.

Concrete measures include providing stronger services and support for overseas Chinese-invested businesses, developing industrial clusters, and establishing innovation and entrepreneurship bases for overseas Chinese.

Overseas Chinese entrepreneurs have also been encouraged to contribute to China's high-quality economic development, while overseas Chinese communities have been mobilized to take an active part in high-quality Belt and Road cooperation.

"Overseas Chinese should draw on their strengths and resources to help facilitate exchanges and cooperation between their countries of residence and China in various fields," Xi once said, calling on them to better integrate into and contribute to local communities and make new contributions to world peace and development.■