The Communist Party of China （CPC） has now completed 105 remarkable years. Throughout this journey, "Serving the people through Diplomacy" has always been the core mission guiding the CPC’s century-long efforts and China’s diplomatic work. When the People’s Republic of China was founded, the first generation of the CPC’s leadership put forward the concept of "people’s diplomacy", championed the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, and stood firm against hegemonism and wars of aggression. This helped the Chinese people break free from conflict and isolation, securing a peaceful environment for survival and development. Back in the 1950s, the very first Constitution of the People’s Republic of China formally enshrined the protection of the legitimate rights and interests of overseas Chinese — a clear sign of the Party and government’s deep care for our compatriots abroad. As times have changed and our nation has grown stronger, China’s capacity to safeguard its people overseas has steadily improved, and consular protection has become far more efficient.

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, under the strong leadership of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, China’s diplomatic work has been wholeheartedly committed to the principle of "Serving the people through Diplomacy". Drawing on our institutional strengths, we uphold the CPC’s centralised,unified leadership, bringing together government departments, people, and our overseas embassies and consulates. We stand firm in defending China’s sovereignty, security and development interests, build the system of safety protection for Chinese nationals, and honour our solemn pledge: "The interests of the people are the highest goal of diplomacy — wherever our compatriots go, consular protection will follow."

In 2014, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China launched the 12308 consular protection hotline, providing round-the-clock, real-time assistance and advice to Chinese citizens overseas. No matter where you are in the world, Chinese citizens can call this line to seek help from your motherland. Over the past year alone, the Chinese government handled more than 79,000 consular protection and assistance cases, received over 600,000 calls to the 12308 hotline, and issued more than 3,000 overseas security alerts. In South Australia, our Consulate-General of China in Adelaide has dealt with cases ranging from drownings and car accidents to serious illnesses involving Chinese citizens. When trouble strikes, we step in quickly to offer comfort and do everything within our duty to help — so our compatriots abroad can feel the care and concern of the Party and government.

In recent years, the Chinese government has actively negotiated visa-free agreements with other countries, and rolled out a range of measures to make the application of travel document easier. As a result, the "value" of the Chinese passport keeps rising. So far, 31 countries have signed mutual visa-free agreements with China, and roughly another 50 offer visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to Chinese citizens unilaterally — making that "spontaneous trip anywhere" well within reach. We’ve also launched initiatives such as passport applications from anywhere in the world, the China Consular Affairs app, and online visa processing, and extended our unilateral visa-free policy to 50 countries including Australia. Our Consulate-General acts fast to share updates and implement these new policies, ensuring our care for overseas Chinese citizens translated into real action.

When you’re far from home, urgent or unexpected troubles may pop up anytime: "My family’s here for a short holiday and we’ve lost our passports", "We’re elderly and can’t work out how to use the China Consular Affairs app"... We understand how worrying these situations are. For eligible applicants, we’ve set up dedicated "fast-track lanes" both online and in person. We take frontline services very seriously, accepting all eligible applications without exception, answering questions patiently and thoroughly, never passing the buck or giving vague responses — constantly working to make the process smoother for our citizens.

The safety of life and property of Chinese citizens overseas is never far from CPC and Chinese government’s mind. In recent years, online gambling and telecom scams have blighted parts of Southeast Asia. The Chinese government has deepened law enforcement cooperation with neighbouring countries, and our crackdowns have dealt a heavy blow to these criminal syndicates.

Telecom scams are also frequently happening in Australia, and our Consulate-General regularly receives reports from victims. To tackle this, we frequently issue  safety alerts, keep our citizens updated on emerging risks, and highlight common scam tactics — helping our compatriots stay alert and protect their interests.

This year marks the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China. Serving the public good and exercising power in the interests of the people, and observing the Party’s fundamental purpose of wholeheartedly serving the people, is one of the defining strengths that has carried CPC through 105 years of progress. Our Consulate-General will keep implementing the Party’s policies, stay true to our original aspiration and founding mission, remain rooted in the people, and listen closely to the needs and concerns of the Chinese community across South Australia. We will protect the legitimate rights and interests of local Chinese citizens, and deliver better, more comprehensive, and more thoughtful service to our compatriots.