Ask the average Chinese what they think of the mainland Chinese who have been educated or worked overseas and the typical response will be the politically incorrect term describing the said individual as a "banana" – meaning yellow on the outside, white on the inside.

Ask the average Indian, the same question and instead they’ll refer to the individual as an NRI or a non-resident Indian. The reasons the different responses exist – and the underlying feelings between mild mockery and respect – demonstrate the wide global integration differences that exist between the two countries.

NRI’s have existed and been acknowledged as an important source of overseas knowledge and finance in India for decades. Only recently are professional Chinese regarded in the same light. More usually, being sent overseas has had an attached stigma – often because the Chinese have themselves often been victims of trafficking. But the importance of mainland China’s growing overseas professionals is increasing.

However, with the exceptions of the foreign-educated elite, most overseas Chinese usually just come from three provinces: Guangdong, Fujian and Hainan. Moreover, many of those do not wish to return, seeking a perceived freedom in the West. Obtaining an American passport is seen as more of an incentive than remaining Chinese.

Indians however, not having the stigma of historic human trafficking or "coolie" labor, have generally dispersed with greater influence, and through historic ties with Britain, and to some extent the green card system in the United States, carry more of a cachet in India than their Chinese counterparts do.

No "coconuts" here. NRI’s are thought highly of, with many returning to India armed with knowledge and expertise gained overseas, and keen to play a part in a resurgent India. The difference is marked also in government perception and encouragement. While the Indian government actively engages NRI’s, even issuing overseas Indian ID cards to Indians who may now possess a non-Indian passport, the Chinese government has no such policy.

The Indian ID card affords a welcome home, with financial and tax benefits attached. China provides no such incentive or courtesy. It’s a mistake, as overseas nationals or even those with ethnic ties to their parent country can be valuable resources of intellect, dynamism and finance.

In total, there are about 40million overseas Chinese, mainly spread throughout South-East Asia. Many however are now second, third or even fourth generation and with family memories steeped in civil war and unrest, emotional ties to China have become largely divorced. That’s higher than the number of overseas Indians, generally regarded to being 30 million.

However, the spread of Indians overseas has been, due to links with Britain and the Commonwealth, far more diverse and spread among the West. There are extensive studies on both populations here and here.

China needs to become more mature about how it views its increasing number of overseas nationals and to encourage deeper ties to the mainland. Only by actively reaching out to the Chinese diaspora and engaging with them, and in particular the new generation, will alter the perception.

Overseas Chinese deserve more than to be known locally as "bananas. " Only when China starts to actively recognize them as a non-resident Chinese or NRC, will the country be able to reconcile the love of the motherland with the experience of gaining knowledge and expertise from abroad.

In this regard, India’s maturity as a nation finding its place and integrating with the world remains far more advanced, a point China’s social analysts may wish to dwell upon.