Chinese living abroad, who number many millions, will continue to be protected by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well as the nation's embassies and consulates, Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing promised on Friday.

 

The standard of diplomatic work carried out on behalf of overseas Chinese would be continuously improved to safeguard their legal interests, promised Li.

 

Li made the remarks at a ministry reception, held to celebrate Sunday's National Day, for more that 1,300 overseas Chinese.

 

China would stick to its independent foreign policy of peace and building a harmonious prosperous world, commented Li.

 

"Chinese diplomatic missions helped me in both my life and career in the United States," Xiong Tianyu, who has lived in the US for 26 years, told China Daily at the reception.

 

He explained he'd been in a serious traffic accident in Chicago in 1992. "When I woke up in hospital after being unconscious for 30 hours the first people I saw were officials from the consulate general of China in Chicago," said Xiong.

 

He remembered how moved he was at the time. The diplomatic officials had driven for three hours from Chicago to the hospital after learning about his accident on television.

 

In 1991 Xiong laid plans to establish an association for Chinese scientists and engineers in the US. "It was the consulate general in Chicago and the Embassy of China that helped me gather Chinese scientists and engineers from seven states," he said.

 

Since its establishment in 1992, the Association of Chinese Scientists & Engineers in the US has received continuous support from the country's diplomatic missions.

 

Li Haiyan, who lives in Canada said, "The embassy and consulates are my home in Canada."

 

(China Daily September 30, 2006)