Refers to Chinese people residing outside China, often with a focus on ethnic Chinese communities abroad. Common in news and socio-economic contexts.
東南アジアには多くの華僑が住んでいる。
Many overseas Chinese live in Southeast Asia.
There is a large overseas Chinese community in Yokohama.
華僑の経済的な影響力は大きい。
The economic influence of overseas Chinese is significant.
I heard this shop is run by overseas Chinese.
中国人 simply means a Chinese national or person of Chinese nationality anywhere, whereas 華僑 specifically denotes Chinese people who have settled and are living outside of China.
new overseas Chinese; post-1978 Chinese emigrants
old overseas Chinese; long-established Chinese immigrant
Compound of 華 (China) and 僑 (sojourn, reside temporarily abroad). The term emerged in the late 19th to early 20th century to describe Chinese emigrants.