On January 25, 2021, top China political advisor Wang Yang[1] met with the Western Returned Scholars Association (WRSA), which is also known as the Overseas-Educated Scholars Association of China. The WRSA, established in 1913, is one of two dozen organizations registered under the United Front Work Department (UFWD) that is headed by Wang; the UFWD is a network of Party and state institutions and actors that work to influence domestic and foreign civil society and foreign nationals in order to advance the goals of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Wang stated in the meeting that the CCP sees the vast number of talented Chinese citizens educated overseas as a double-edged sword. Given their vast numbers and access to some of the world's greatest minds and research institutions, he said, they are considered a "precious resource of the Party and the people and a living force for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation." He added, quoting CCP General Secretary Xi Jinping, that the WRSA must tap into this "talent pool in the service of the country" and turn it into "a think tank of good ideas and proposals and a vital force in people-to-people diplomacy."[2]
At the same time, Wang emphasized that the CCP is concerned that daily exposure to Western media, interlocutors, and ideology will impact international Chinese students' loyalty to the Party-State. The WRSA, therefore, should "guide the majority of students to unite their love for their country, their will to strengthen it and their deeds to serve it, and unite their dreams of studying abroad and their dreams in life with the Chinese Dream, and unite their boundless wisdom and strength to bring new contributions to the comprehensive construction of a modern socialist country." He further underlined: "No matter how the domestic and international environment change, the patriotic feeling cannot be altered and the ideal of serving the country must not be lost."
Following is the full translation of the People's Daily report of Wang Yang's January meeting with the WRSA:[3]
Wang Yang's January 25, 2021 meeting with the WRSA (Source: Xinhua News Agency reporter Rao Aimin)
'The Patriotic Feeling Must Not Be Altered And The Ideal Of Serving The Country Must Not Be Lost'
"Wang Yang, 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 (CPPCC), met with the members and chairman of the Eighth Council of the Western Returned Scholars Association (Overseas-educated Scholars Association of China) in Beijing on January 25.
"[In the meeting, Wang Yang] stressed that as a mass organization led by the Party, the WRSA should earnestly study and understand the spirit of the important speech made by General Secretary Xi Jinping at the association's 100th anniversary celebration ceremony. [The members] should thoroughly implement the decisions made by the Party Central Committee on the work of mass organizations, bearing in mind the Two Overall Situations and remembering their duties and mission. [They should] guide the majority of students to unite their love for their country, their will to strengthen it, and their deeds to serve it, and combine their dreams of studying abroad and their dreams in life with the Chinese Dream, and unite their boundless wisdom and strength to bring new contributions to the comprehensive construction of a modern socialist country.
"On behalf of the Party Central Committee, Wang Yang congratulated the successful convening of the First National Congress of the WRSA and gave full approval to the work of the Seventh Council. He stressed that the primary essence of overseas students is to love their country and the strongest conviction is to serve their country. No matter how the domestic and international environment change, the patriotic feeling must be altered and the ideal of serving the country must not be lost. The new team of leaders should improve their political judgment, political comprehension, and political execution, and adhere to the Party's leadership in all aspects concerning the work of the WRSA, so as to ensure that they are highly consistent with the Party Central Committee in ideology, politics and action. They should take a broad view of the situation, understand our righteous cause, and follow our great path, and educate and guide our students to have a deep understanding of why the Chinese Communist Party is 'capable,' why Marxism is 'feasible,' and why socialism with Chinese characteristics is 'good.' They should anchor their functions as a talent pool in the service of the country, a think tank of good ideas and proposals and a vital force in people-to-people diplomacy, [and also] continuously strengthen their own development and reform their management models and innovate their working methods, so as to promote their work in a stable manner and improve their quality and efficiency."
'Overseas Students Are The Precious Resource Of The Party And The People And A Living Force For The Great Rejuvenation Of The Chinese Nation'
"[Also in the meeting,] Wang Yang stressed that overseas students are the precious resource of the Party and the people and a living force for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Local party committees at all levels must fully understand the significance of doing well in the work of overseas students in the new era, implement the relevant decisions and plans of the Central Committee, support the work of the WRSA, and foster a good atmosphere for overseas students to better play their roles.
"You Quan, Secretary of the Secretariat of the CCP Central Committee and Minister of the United Front Work Department of the Central Committee, presided over the meeting. Chen Zhu, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) and chairman of the 7th Council of the WRSA, and Ding Zhongli, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the NPC and the newly elected chairman of the 8th Council of the WRSA, attended the meeting."
[1] Wang Yang is the fourth-ranked member of the seven-member Politburo Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and chairman of the top political advisory body in China, the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). Wang also leads the Central United Front Work Leading Small Group, an oversight body of the United Front Work Department (UFWD).
[2] En.qstheory.cn/2020-09/30/c_541840.htm, September 30, 2020.
[3] Paper.people.com.cn/rmrb/html/2021-01/26/nw.D110000renmrb_20210126_3-03.htm, January 26, 2021.
