by Xinhua writers Geng Lingnan, Lin Shuting
BANGKOK, July 6 (Xinhua) -- New-generation overseas Chinese build new bridges for China-Thailand exchanges, an overseas Chinese community leader has said.
Justin Lin, executive committee member of the Thai Chinese New Generation Business Association, elaborated on practices and insights of new-generation overseas Chinese, who connect China and Thailand while taking deep roots locally, in a recent interview with Xinhua in Bangkok.
Wearing a T-shirt with the slogan "Turn to Me When in Need," Lin explained that the phrase embodies the spirit passed down by older generations and serves as his personal mantra.
"When I first joined the association, senior members would always come up to me and say, 'Xiao Lin, turn to me when in need.' After we launched our business, we adopted this line as our corporate slogan, hoping to carry forward our forebears' spirit of mutual assistance," said Lin. "We strive to do all we can to support fellow Chinese venturing overseas and Chinese-funded enterprises."
Lin, a man in his early thirties, has never sent any "qiaopi" -- letters and remittances sent home by overseas Chinese, but still resonates with Zheng Musheng's experience in China's heartfelt hit film "Dear You."
"We enjoy far better startup conditions than our forebears, yet newcomers to Thailand still grapple with cultural barriers and integration difficulties. We are essentially Zheng Musheng with more advantages," Lin said.
Only by deeply integrating into local society and respecting indigenous customs can young Chinese entrepreneurs venturing in Thailand gain a firm foothold locally, Lin noted. To this end, he co-founded a consulting firm with partners, dedicated to assisting Chinese firms investing in Thailand with labor administration, regulatory compliance and external communication.
Drawing on the association's platform, Lin has long promoted two-way exchanges between Chinese and Thai enterprises as well as young professionals, facilitating bilateral industrial and cultural cooperation. The association regularly invites Thai government officials and legal experts to hold briefings, helping Chinese firms operating in Thailand understand local laws and regulations, match industrial chain resources, and tackle challenges, including information asymmetry and lack of commercial channels.
Last year, the association led a delegation of dozens of Thai entrepreneurs on study tours to Shanghai and Hangzhou in China, visiting leading companies such as Spring Airlines and Trip.com. Many Thai entrepreneurs were deeply impressed by the cutting-edge technologies showcased by Chinese companies.
"One entrepreneur contacted me right after seeing Unitree's robot dog, hoping to introduce the relevant technology to Thailand," Lin recalled.
Generations of overseas Chinese have upheld fine traditional virtues, integrating into and giving back to local Thai society through sustained philanthropic efforts. On this note, Lin cited the Poh Teck Tung Foundation, a charitable institution founded by overseas Chinese, as an example: "Once I witnessed an accident on the road and saw staff from the Poh Teck Tung Foundation, instead of an ambulance, rush to the scene first."
The philanthropic traditions upheld by earlier generations have been carried forward by new-generation overseas Chinese and deeply woven into the daily lives of Thai people, Lin said.
More than a decade ago, the association organized entrepreneurs to deliver charitable aid in northern Thailand. In recent years, it has arranged young entrepreneurs to retrace the philanthropic journeys of their predecessors. They visited three schools in northern Thailand and donated learning supplies, demonstrating the sincere affection of overseas Chinese for their host homeland through tangible deeds. ■
