CSSA meaning in Academic & Science ?

The Chinese Students and Scholars Association (CSSA) (Chinese: 中国学生学者联合(谊)会; pinyin: zhōngguó xuéshēng xuézhě liánhé (liányí) huì) is the official organization for overseas Chinese students and scholars registered in most colleges, universities, and institutions outside of the People's Republic of China. The associations in different institutions share a same name. The stated function of CSSAs is helping away-from-home Chinese in their life, study, work, and other issues, to bring Chinese students together on campus, serving as a bridge between the Chinese and other communities, and spreading Chinese culture. The groups typically host events such as annual Chinese New Year galas, holiday celebrations as well as academic forums and talent recruitment competitions tied to the Thousand Talents Plan. Journalists and human rights groups have referred to CSSAs as government-organized non-governmental organizations used to surveil and report on Chinese students abroad.

The CSSA started in late 1970s when China started sending students to study overseas. In August 1989, representatives from over 200 CSSAs gathered in the University of Illinois at Chicago for the First Congress of Chinese Students and Scholars, established their national association as the now-defunct Independent Federation of Chinese Students and Scholars (IFCSS) as a response to the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre. IFCSS' stated goal was to promote democracy in China and advance the interests of Chinese students abroad.

CSSAs became a subject in vice president Mike Pence's October 2018 policy speech on China.