UNOFFICIAL ENVOYS--Overseas Chinese build bridges for cooperation and exchange between China and ASEAN countries

Southeast Asia hosts the largest Chinese diaspora.As early as the Song Dynasty(960-1279),Chinese merchants and craftsmen traveled across the sea and settled in the region.Across the centuries,more and more Chinese built lives in Southeast Asia,which gradually became home to the largest Chinese community outside China.Over the past centuries,overseas Chinese have founded social organizations,schools,media outlets,and businesses in their resident countries in Southeast Asia.Many have stayed solicitous of the motherland and dedicated great energy to promoting cooperation and exchange between China and Southeast Asian countries.