JIANGMEN, China, Oct. 16, 2020 /Xinhua-AsiaNet/--

On the morning of October 15th, the first online World Youth Congress of Jiangmen was held, with the main venue in Jiangmen, Guangdong and parallel sessions in the United States, Brazil, Costa Rica, Venezuela, Australia, Malaysia, and Macao SAR of China. The event this year, bringing together people across the world who share the same origin to meet online, attracted 350 overseas Chinese groups from 75 countries and regions, with over tens of thousands overseas guests and local folks watching online, and relevant representatives and entrepreneurs in Jiangmen participating in online and offline interactions.

According to the Preparatory Committee of the 7th World Youth Congress of Jiangmen, the event is divided into three parts, namely, Online Meeting, Online Business Opportunity and Online Dialogue, focusing on the fields of economic and trade cooperation, cultural heritage, serving overseas Chinese, etc., with more attention being paid to diversity and innovation in both form and content, aiming at building a world youth congress that never ends.

At the event, Pang Guomei, Director of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of Guangdong, said that the online congress was an innovative attempt made in response to the new situation and new conditions. She hoped that the overseas Chinese would actively participate in this innovative form of exchange platform, seize these high-end opportunities, tap into the full potential, and achieve new career development.

Liu Yi, Mayor of Jiangmen City, extended sincere greetings and best wishes to the all people, both from home and abroad, who are originated from Jiangmen, as well as old and new friends all over the world, and said that although the impossible meeting face to face for this great event at this moment would not keep our people's hearts apart, friendship and connectivity were achieved through real-time connection.

Jiangmen City is known as "the Capital of Overseas Chinese". Today, more than 4 million overseas Chinese and compatriots in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan are originally from Jiangmen and they live in 107 countries and regions around the world, from whom Jiangmen City has received donations totaling 27.323 million yuan, with donated money equivalent of 13.395 million yuan and materials worth 13.928 million yuan, respectively, since the outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic this year.

Since the establishment of the World Youth Congress of Jiangmen 12 years ago, the scale and influence of this biennial event have gradually increased, with each previous session attracting more than 1,000 young elites from more than 30 countries or regions globally. At present, 26 overseas Jiangmen Wuyi Youth Federations have been established in 21 countries and regions, gradually building a global youth network for Jiangmen's international contacts, and setting up a youthful stage for Jiangmen and even China's exchanges and cooperation with the world.

Source: The Preparatory Committee of the 7th World Youth Congress of Jiangmen 

--BERNAMA