On the afternoon of January 11, the inaugural conference of the Overseas Chinese Innovation & Entrepreneurship Alliance (OCIEA) of Hunan Xiangjiang New Area (Yuelu District) was successfully convened, marking that overseas Chinese innovation and entrepreneurship in the New Area has entered a new stage of institutionalization, platform-based development and collaboration, injecting strong “overseas Chinese vitality” into this vibrant hub of innovation.

As the first national-level new area in central China, Xiangjiang New Area takes the lead in establishing the Overseas Chinese Innovation & Entrepreneurship Alliance in Hunan Province. It is not only an innovative practice in implementing the “Two Expansions” requirement of the All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese, but also a key measure to integrate overseas Chinese resources and unlock innovation momentum.

The conference reviewed and adopted the Articles of Association of the Overseas Chinese Innovation & Entrepreneurship Alliance of Hunan Xiangjiang New Area (Yuelu District) and elected the first Council. Mr. Hu Long, Senior Partner of TDR Law Firm, was elected Executive Director of the Alliance, and Mr. Jian Xiao, Partner of TDR Law Firm, was elected Standing Director.

In his speech at the conference, Mr. Hu Long stated that as a overseas Chinese legal professional rooted in Hunan, he deeply recognizes the urgent demand for compliance support and resource coordination among overseas Chinese talents during innovation and entrepreneurship. He has also witnessed the unique strength of overseas Chinese communities in “serving as a bridge to connect China with the world”.

In the future, he will leverage his legal expertise to focus on three pragmatic initiatives:

First, to build a strong rule of law barrier, providing precise legal services including intellectual property protection and cross-border compliance for alliance members to safeguard sustainable innovation.

Second, to activate synergy momentum, integrating legal, financial, venture capital and other resources to solve gaps in technology commercialization and market expansion.

Third, to broaden cooperation dimensions, relying on the global vision of overseas Chinese communities to connect alliance resources with global innovation networks, responding to the national strategy of “coordinated advancement of technological and industrial innovation”.

Xiangjiang New Area boasts a unique innovation ecosystem, gathering more than 60% of the province’s entrepreneurship platforms, over 80% of university research institutions, and more than 85% of scientific research achievements. The regional R&D investment intensity reaches 9.5%, ranking first among national new areas nationwide. Meanwhile, it is a major hub of overseas Chinese resources: among nearly 60,000 overseas Chinese-related individuals, there are 10,000 returnee talents, more than 200 high-level talents in offshore think tanks, and 19 overseas intelligence experts, forming a key pillar of scientific and technological innovation.

Huang Chonghua, Member of the Party Leadership Group and Vice Chairman of Hunan Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese, encouraged the Alliance to strengthen bridge links, stimulate innovation vitality, enhance collaboration, and become a “hub of consensus”, a “booster for development” and an “ecosystem for win-win cooperation”.

Zhang Liu, Director of the United Front Work Department (Mass Organization Work Department) of Xiangjiang New Area, noted that the Alliance will further extend the reach of overseas Chinese affairs and motivate overseas Chinese talents to contribute wisdom and strength to the high-quality development of the New Area.