Overseas Chinese (traditional Chinese: 海外華人; simplified Chinese: 海外华人; pinyin: Hǎiwài Huárén) are people of Chinese birth or descent who live outside the People's Republic of China and Republic of China (Taiwan). People of partial Chinese ancestry living outside the Greater China Area may also consider themselves Overseas Chinese.
The term "Overseas Chinese" refers to those of Han Chinese ethnicity living outside of Republic of China and People's Republic of China, or more broadly, to all 56 recognized ethnic groups in China; Chinese people in the sense of Zhonghua minzu. For example, members of the Tibetan diaspora may travel to China on passes granted to certain Overseas Chinese.
Overseas Chinese defines several criteria for identifying Han overseas Chinese: there is a direct racial lineage of descent from groups originating from China, they still retain their culture, self-identify with Chinese culture or acknowledge Chinese origin.
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