Contact address: Room 1103, Overseas Chinese Building, 129 Yananxilu
    Contact tel.: 0086-21-62496566
    
    Brief Introduction
    
    Shanghai Overseas Exchange Association (SOEA), established in 1990, is a municipal-level non-governmental organization committed to relying on the advantages of overseas Chinese to establish extensive links with Chinese nationals residing overseas, overseas Chinese, HK and Macao compatriots, foreign friends, other overseas personnel and their organizations, developing friendly contacts and cooperation and promoting economic and cultural exchanges between China and overseas sources. The director of the municipal government OCAO is concurrently its president and some well-known overseas personages and responsible officials of relevant departments of the Municipal government serve as its honorary president, consultants and specially invited directors. The association also includes a selected number of influential large and medium-sized state-owned enterprises, cultural institutions and Sino-foreign joint ventures in Shanghai as group members.
    For ten years since its establishment, the Association, as an important window for contacts and liaison between Shanghai and overseas, has done a large amount of useful work for strengthening the links between Shanghai people from all walks of life and overseas Chinese residing in different countries and regions all over the world, HK and Macao compatriots, foreign friends and relevant overseas public organizations, promoting the peaceful reunification of the motherland, making Shanghai better known to the world, letting Shanghai reach out to the world, developing Pudong and promoting the people-to-people exchanges between various undertakings in Shanghai and their overseas counterparts. Therefore, it has considerable influence in the community of public organizations.
    Since its establishment, the Association, focusing on the general objective of serving economic construction, has consistently made great efforts to introduce intelligent resources, science and technology, as well as capital, and to build links and bridges for enterprises, firms and public organizations both at home and abroad in investment and business promotion, economic and trade exchanges and the introduction of human resources and technology, and provided them with information and consultancy services by conducting a series of activities, such as influential large investment promotion conferences, international thematic workshops, high-level international business discussions, economic information exchange conferences between China and foreign countries, thematic symposia and lectures by well-known personages both from home and abroad, neo-tech and products fairs, economic and trade missions. As a result, it has gained remarkable achievements. Over the past ten years, a total of billions of USD in foreign capital has been introduced, as well as many talents and hi- and neo technologies.
    The Association has also gone to great length to give full play to its unique advantages as a foreign-related public organization and promoted the construction of the socialist spiritual civilization in Shanghai by participating in major celebrations on important festivals both at home and abroad, sponsoring art and theatrical performances, art exhibitions and photo shows that are influential both at home and abroad, and organizing inter-school education exchanges, summer campings and other cultural and educational exchanges in China and overseas. At the same time, it has on numerous occasions organized overseas performances by art and cultural groups of Shanghai to send regards to overseas Chinese in their host countries, conveying to them the solicitude of the motherland, disseminating the Chinese culture and enhancing friendship.
    Over the past ten years and more, the Association has received large numbers of overseas Chinese and foreign friends coming to Shanghai on business, for scientific and technological exchanges and sightseeing. At the same time, the president and vice presidents have on many occasions led delegations visiting scores of countries in North America, Western Europe, Southeast Asia and Asia Pacific, and had extensive contacts and exchanges with overseas Chinese in their host countries.
    The Association has often accepted and handled cases of violations of rights and interests of enterprises invested in Shanghai by overseas Chinese and HK and Macao compatriots to protect their lawful rights and interests, thus further improving the investment environment of Shanghai.
    At present, Shanghai is gradually establishing its position as an international economic, trade and financial center. SOEA will keep on exploring new approaches and striving to create new advantages to make greater contributions to the promotion of exchanges both at home and overseas.