On November 29, the 12th Consular Protection Monthly Lecture was held via video link. More than 500 Chinese students studying at American universities like University of California, University of Chicago, Yale University and Columbia University attended this virtual lecture on overseas safety.

Supporting Each Other Through Difficulties and Keeping in Contact Across Borders

As COVID-19 is raging overseas and incidents of violence involving international students sporadically occur, the safety of studying overseas has become a hot topic among Chinese students in the US. To ensure their safety, the Foreign Affairs Office of the People's Government of Beijing organized a special public lecture themed on “consular protection and personal & property safety”. It combined American judicial and law enforcement systems with actual cases, satisfying overseas students’ need for safety knowledge.

Involving Multiple Parties to Ensure the Safety of Chinese Students Abroad

Co-hosted by the US Southwestern Chinese Students and Scholars Association, the University of Chicago Chinese Students and Scholars Association, and the University of Southern California Chinese Students and Scholars Association, this lecture attracted students from a number of overseas universities. The lecture covered consular protection knowledge, overseas safety incidents analysis, Q&A session, etc., through which it deepened students’ understanding of overseas safety, improved their ability to guard against the risks of studying abroad and made their life safer.

Answering Questions and Caring for Students Studying Abroad

“If I lose my ID card when I’m abroad and need to return to China as soon as possible, what’s the quickest fix?” “Is there a way to identify those who want to attack me, such as by looking at his/her facial expressions and body movements?” “What should I do if I come across a shooting?” During the Q&A session, students’ representatives asked experts about the safety tips for studying abroad and emergency response. Beijing Foreign Affairs Office and the invited experts focused on students’ needs, made a list of suggestions, and answered questions to address their concerns.

In the future, Beijing Foreign Affairs Office will continue to follow the needs of Beijing citizens abroad and organize personalized and targeted promotion activities to improve their self-protection ability and build a line of defense of overseas safety.