An international meeting of overseas Chinese from Fujian province was held in Fuzhou city on Jan 25.

More than 200 leaders of associations of overseas Fujian immigrants and entrepreneurs from over 50 countries and regions gathered for the meeting and went through various procedures.

The news that Fujian was approved by Central authorities to set up three free trade zones in Fuzhou, Xiamen and Pingtan, respectively, excited many of the participants, who vowed to contribute to their hometown’s development.

Minqw.fjsen.com, a website dedicated to covering the latest news on overseas Fujian compatriots and acting as a bridge between them, was launched at the occasion.

The overseas Chinese associations also partnered with 23 financially-stretched counties in Fujian province to provide support for them.

Lan Weiguang, a Singaporean entrepreneur originally from Fujian, donated a batch of water dispensers worth 12 million yuan ($1.9 million) to the 23 counties.

Oishi, a famous food producer, signed an agreement with the government of Heping county in Zhangzhou city that will launch a food production line in the county.

The decision was made due to Heping’s favorable geographic conditions and rich agricultural resources and the love toward his hometown, according to Shi Xueli, Oishi’s President.

“My father is a traditional person. He wants us to keep close ties with our hometown, to remember where we are from and support its development,” he said.

Many overseas Chinese organizations showed a lot of interest in Gutian county in Ningde city, as Fujian’s authorities plan to build an experimental zone using investment from overseas Chinese entrepreneurs.

Gutian leads the world in the production of edible mushrooms, which has an enormous potential in the United States where there are more than 70,000 Chinese restaurants, said Zheng Shigan, chairman of an association of Fujian entrepreneurs in US.

Yongtai county in Fuzhou city signed cooperation deals with eight overseas Chinese associations on Jan 25. It will mainly develop information automation, clean energy, agricultural product processing, health product production and leisure tourism based on the agreements, according to Zou Yongzhi, deputy director of the county.

There are an estimated 15.8 million overseas Chinese who are originally from Fujian living in 188 countries and regions in the world, figures show.