On March 12, 2019, Director-General of the Department of Consular Affairs of the Foreign Ministry Cui Aimin held a symposium with 40 representatives of the overseas Chinese attending the Second Session of the Thirteenth National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference as nonvoting delegates from 31 countries.

Director-General Cui Aimin fully recognized the long-term outstanding contributions made by the overseas Chinese to China's development and construction and their strong support for the consular protection and services overseas of Chinese embassies and consulates stationed abroad, and introduced the work of the Department of Consular Affairs of the Foreign Ministry. Cui Aimin expressed that in the year of 2018, the Foreign Ministry and the Chinese embassies and consulates stationed abroad strived to safeguard the security and legitimate rights and interests of overseas Chinese institutions and personnel, and efficiently settled cases related to consular protection and assistance; advanced the facilitation of Chinese and foreign personnel exchanges; signed agreements on mutual visa exemption with the United Arab Emirates, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belarus and Qatar and agreements on mutually issuing long-term multiple-entry visa with South Africa and Panama; and promoted "delegating power, strengthening regulation, improving services" to go global, simplified the procedure for getting passports, shortened the visa processing time, reduced consular legalization fees, and promoted mobile payments including WeChat Pay and Alipay. Cui Aimin said that in 2019, the Foreign Ministry and the Chinese embassies and consulates stationed abroad will continue to focus on the central task of the Communist Party of China and the state, practice the diplomacy for the people, earnestly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of the overseas Chinese, and put procedures in place to give outbound Chinese citizens a greater sense of safety; solidly push forward the building of harmonious overseas Chinese communities, and create a favorable external environment for the survival and development of the overseas Chinese; improve the level of work on Internet Plus certificate, launch more measures for consular protection and services overseas to benefit the people, and improve the consular services of Chinese embassies and consulates stationed abroad; and constantly push forward the facilitation of Chinese and foreign personnel exchanges, and improve the value of Chinese passports.

The symposium was held in a friendly atmosphere with heated discussions. The representatives of the overseas Chinese present at the symposium recognized the work the Foreign Ministry and the Chinese embassies and consulates stationed abroad have done, and actively provided advice and suggestions for increasing human resource input in consular work, strengthening emergency response to consular protection, improving consular certificate services, establishing Chinese visa application service centers in foreign countries, certificates regarding the return of overseas Chinese to China, the building of overseas Chinese groups, and the development of Chinese language education.

Cui Aimin thanked the advice and suggestions from the representatives of the overseas Chinese, and expressed that the Department of Consular Affairs of the Foreign Ministry will continue to reinforce the supervision and guidance for the consular protection and services overseas of Chinese embassies and consulates stationed abroad, and will work with competent departments at home as well as guide the Chinese embassies and consulates stationed abroad to promote the settlement of the reasonable concerns of overseas Chinese. Cui Aimin encouraged the overseas Chinese to continue to offer useful suggestions, and further play their unique role in pushing forward the development of relations between China and foreign countries, and in jointly building the Belt and Road Initiative. Relevant principals of the Department of Consular Affairs answered the specific questions raised by the representatives of overseas Chinese.