Additional consular services encouraged

More govt, corporate effort urged to protect Chinese citizens overseas

From Iraq to Libya, from the Philippines to Vietnam, China's growing commercial interests and the increasing demands of its citizens traveling abroad highlight the urgency to boost consular services, a meeting on the issue heard on Tuesday.

Diplomats and specialists at a seminar in Beijing called for greater investment and clear legislation, among other approaches, rather than solely depending on the Foreign Ministry to protect overseas Chinese.