The National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) held its 41st briefing session on issues of major concern in Beijing on Oct 23, focusing on maximizing the positive role of overseas Chinese in promoting exchanges and mutual learning between Chinese and foreign civilizations.

Su Hui and Xian Hui, vice-chairwomen of the CPPCC National Committee, attended the session.

Chen Xu, deputy head of the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee and director of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council, gave a briefing on related work.

Chen noted that since the beginning of the new era, the department has explored innovative working methods and has given full play to the unique role of overseas Chinese in cross-cultural communication and non-governmental exchanges, so as to consolidate the foundation for overseas Chinese affairs to promote Chinese culture globally and build a community with a shared future for humanity.

Going forward, efforts will be made to leverage the strengths of the united front work framework, continuously improve the mechanisms for handling overseas Chinese affairs, and actively build brands for cultural exchanges between Chinese and foreign civilizations involving overseas Chinese, thus improving the quality and efficiency of related work, Chen said.

Gao Feng, vice-chairman of the All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese (ACFROC), also gave a briefing.

He noted that the ACFROC has always focused on making full use of the resource advantages of overseas Chinese to promote the integration of Chinese and foreign civilizations and foster people-to-people connectivity.

The ACFROC will continue to leverage the positive role of overseas Chinese to facilitate cultural exchanges and mutual learning between China and other countries, Gao said.

These efforts aim to pool the wisdom and strength of the overseas Chinese community to comprehensively advance the building of a strong nation and realize national rejuvenation through Chinese modernization, he added.

During the session, CPPCC National Committee members and officials from relevant government departments also exchanged views on issues such as exploring and protecting the historical and cultural heritage of overseas Chinese, deepening research on the history, current situation, and affairs of overseas Chinese in the new era, and strengthening overseas Chinese language education.

Liu Cigui, chairman of the Committee on Liaison with Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and Overseas Chinese of the CPPCC National Committee, presided over the session.