Report says partnerships with foreign countries have increased jobs and deepened exchanges

The Belt and Road Initiative has significantly increased development opportunities for millions of Chinese living in partner countries, said a report released recently.

The Report on the State of Overseas Chinese (2019) was jointly released by the China Institute for Chinese Overseas Studies and the Social Sciences Academic Press (China).

It studied 2018 information on the situation of overseas Chinese living in 30 countries, which was gathered from associations, groups, newspapers, merchants and the education experiences of overseas Chinese.

According to the report, there are over 40 million overseas Chinese living in the countries along the BRI, who play a significant role in promoting exchange and development between China and those countries.

From 2013 to 2018, Chinese enterprises directly invested over $90 billion in the countries along the BRI, and project contracts worth $600 billion were signed.

Corporate investment and project contracts have driven the local economy and brought in Chinese companies and immigrants, which have increased jobs and benefits for overseas Chinese, the report said.

Nearly 30 countries along the BRI reached visa-free and visa-on-arrival agreements with China, which has greatly promoted the exchanges between Chinese and foreign people.

BRI partner countries are also becoming more popular for Chinese students, with 66,100 studying in those countries in 2017. The demand to better understand China and Chinese culture has also been boosted in partner countries.

With the development of China's "foreign economy", there is an urgent need for talent to work in overseas countries in trade, culture and tourism, the report said.