二○○○年五月二十日，民主進步黨總統候選人陳水扁接任中華民國第十任總統，民主進步黨取代中國國民黨開始執政。民主進步黨因為對於國家認同與中國國民黨完全不同，因此在執政前，認為僑務工作服務的對象應以臺僑為主。甚至總統大選期間，該黨的外交與國防政策白皮書就主張裁撤僑務委員會，使得海外傳統僑社對民主進步黨有不重視僑務的感覺。再加上由監察委員轉任僑務委員會委員長的張富美，在五月初上任之前接受記者專訪時，其談話內容被誤會成「僑民三等論」造成其本人將近一年困擾，也使得中華民國及中華人民共和國在僑務的推動上產生了消長的變化。本文不老生常談自中國國民黨以至民主進步黨執政，皆繼續推動之振興華僑文教、強化華僑經濟、建構華文資訊網路、輔導華僑證照、提昇華僑通訊及文宣、推廣華僑函授教育等工作。而從「僑民三等論」來談張富美與傳統僑團的關係、從推動加入WHO來看僑務委員會如何扮演外交第二軌道角色、從僑務委員的任命及僑務秘書的調動來看僑務委員會建立制度化的工作、從中文譯音的擇定來看兩岸在海外華文教育的競爭、從「全僑民主和平聯盟」的設立來看對中華人民共和國「反獨促統」的反制。

　　　　　 Since Chen Shui-bian, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate for presidency in 2000, was inaugurated as the 10th President of Republic of China on May 20th, 2000, DPP has replaced KMT as the ruling party. On account of national identity, DPP had assumed before it came into power that overseas Taiwanese stand for chief service objects of overseas Chinese affairs,which differed from the view of KMT. Even more, during the presidential election campaigns, DPP advocated deactivating the Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission (OCAC) in its diplomatic and national defense white paper. That drove conventional overseas Chinese associations to feel disdained then. Moreover, Minister Dr. Chang Fu-Mei, a former member of the Control Yuan who heads the OCAC, delivered a proposition of Three Grades on Overseas Chinese in an interview in May before inaugurated. This proposition had annoyed Chang and prompted a growth of overseas Chinese affairs under the People's Republic of China and decline, under the Republic of China. In this article, we are not involved in mere platitudes, such as the promotion of overseas Chinese culture and education, the reinforcement of overseas Chinese economics, the construction of Chinese information network, the assistance of overseas Chinese certificates, enhancement of overseas Chinese communication and propagands, and the development of overseas Chinese correspondence education under the ruling KMT as well as DPP. Instead, we are discussing the relationship between Chang Fu-Mei and conventional overseas Chinese associations on the basis of Three Grades on Overseas Chinese; conferring on the best way for the OCAC to assume the character of second track diplomacy from the advance of becoming a WHO member country; observing institutionalized works set up by the OCAC from the appointment of commissioners and the transference of secretaries in the OCAC; reviewing the competition of overseas Chinese education between cross-strait in terms of the selection of Pinyin system (Chinese spelling system); and inspecting the counterattack of Pro-Unification and Against Independence by PRC to the establishment of the Global Alliance for Democracy and Peace (GADP).