China migration case study

Question 1

Where is China and what level of development is it?

Answer 1

An EDC in East Asia - most populous country in the world

Question 2

What is the annual net migration in China?

Answer 2

-8,500,000 (much more emigration than immigration) - fourth largest country of emigration in the world

Question 3

What are the top source countries for immigrants to China?

Answer 3

Hong Kong, South Korea, Philippines, Brazil, Indonesia

Question 4

What are the top host countries for Chinese emigrants?

Answer 4

Hong Kong, USA, South Korea, Canada, Japan

Question 5

How long has net migration been negative in China?

Answer 5

Since 1990

Question 6

What proportion of Chinese emigrants settle in the USA?

Answer 6

Approximately one quarter

Question 7

How many individuals migrate to Hong Kong from China each day? Who are most of these people?

Answer 7

150 a day, mainly children and wives reunifying with their families (permanent Hong Kong residents)

Question 8

Which provinces have dominated sources of emigration from China and why?

Answer 8

Southern coastal provinces such as Guangdong and Fujian, as they have a limited number of districts and even villages

Question 9

Describe and explain the recent flow of Chinese migrants to Europe

Answer 9

Mainly from southern coastal provinces (such as Guangdong, Fujian, Zhejiang) and northwestern provinces are becoming increasingly prominent in flows of migrants to Europe. Migrants to Europe less skilled than going to Australia or North America - large numbers moving into low-order services, trading and manufacturing jobs. They are influenced by global distribution of the Chinese as established by previous migrations

Question 10

Explain how Africa is becoming an increasingly significant migrant destination for the Chinese

Answer 10

China is now Africa’s leading trading partner - estimates of over 500,000 Chinese in Africa (1/3 to 1/2 of these in SA)

Question 11

China is now Angola’s leading trading partner. How many Chinese emigrants reside in Angola and what do they do there?

Answer 11

200,000 (20% of China’s global migrant population). They are engineers and technicians.
The Benguela railway (which links Zambia’s copper mines to Angola’s Atlantic ports) is being rebuilt by Chinese company CIF
The Chinese have built roads, hospitals, schools, hotels, stadia, shopping centres, telecommunication

Question 12

Why has there been an influx of Chinese emigrants to Angola? What is in it for both parties?

Answer 12

China is engaging in Angola (and other parts of Africa) to secure oil and minerals it needs for its economic boom, in return for finance and expertise for the Angolan people. The Chinese have funded and built infrastructure in Angola and have provided expertise and some training for its people. Hope for Chinese to transfer skills to Angolans as education and training has been poor

Question 13

What are some some problems between Angola and China?

Answer 13

The Chinese and Angolans live very separately, with barriers of language and culture to overcome. Each group refuses to try each other’s food and mix cultures - the Chinese import food and other goods rather than buying local Angolan products and helping local businesses and the Angolan economy.

Question 14

Why was there emigration from China in the 1950s and 60s and where was this migration occurring?

Answer 14

The country was characterised by a high fertility rate which led to a surplus population - lead to migration within the Chinese territory (particularly to Hong Kong and Taiwan) but also some other countries in southeast Asia - very strict controls on migration and very little to countries outside this area

Question 15

What has made up a large proportion of Chinese emigration in recent years?

Answer 15

Economic migration of highly skilled workers to western countries such as the USA, Canada, UK, Europe, Australia

Question 16

Where and why do the wealthy middle class emigrate from China? Describe and explain migration from China to Australia

Answer 16

Often leave due to environmental concerns and severe air pollution, but also for a better quality of life. They often relocate to countries such as Australia - 4% of Sydney’s population is Chinese. In Hurstville, Sydney, most signs are now in Chinese, and the vice mayor is Chinese - half the residents claim Chinese ancestry. China is Australia’s biggest trading partner and source of foreign migrants - in 2012, Australia leanched a significant investor program aimed at China’s super rich

Question 17

How has immigration of foreign students changed in recent years?

Answer 17

Has been rising since 2000s, but there has been a steep rise since 2015 - 11% increase in international student enrolment in China between 2015 and 2016 - e.g. Peking and Fudan Universities

Question 18

How many international students went to Chinese universities in 2009? How does this benefit the Chinese?

Answer 18

240,000 - ahead of Australia and Canada
Student fees contribute greatly to the Chinese economy, as well as benefitting the Universities themselves and making them more and more attractive to prospective international students

Question 19

Describe and explain African immigration into China

Answer 19

Over 20,000 Africans are living in southern China, particularly in the Guangzhou province. The migrants are largely from places such as Mali, Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The majority are traders - there s increasing involvement of China in Africa, so China is now experiencing immigration from areas where it has economic and political interests. Guangzhou holds the largest black community in Asia - educated businesspeople and traders.

Question 20

How has the one-child policy (1978) affected immigration in China?

Answer 20

It lead to a sex imbalance (ratio of males to females increased) which meant that there is a ‘shortage’ of females to men (estimated 20 million ‘excess’ unmarried men in 2020). This has lead to human trafficking of women and foreign brides, for example approximately 137,000 Filipino Maids are trafficked to Hong Kong every year. There are also approximately 150,000,000 people internally trafficked in China

Question 21

Describe the immigration of North Koreans to China

Answer 21

Considered illegal immigration rather then asylum seeking. 1,850 immigrants in 2004 - often they are sent back as they are not considered refugees - controversial

Question 22

Why has there been increased immigration to China in recent years?

Answer 22

It is an EDC in an economic and industrial boom - rapid economic growth - requires many workers, expertise and trade links to achieve this on its passage through a demographic transition. The growth of the Chinese labour force is slowing at a time when demand for labour is increasing - increased pressure on wages and the ageing population - young skilled migrants from abroad

Question 23

Why has there been increased immigration to China in the past?

Answer 23

Liberalisation of the economy, increased interconnectedness and opening up of the country in the globalising world and as it moved away from its communist ideologies

Question 24

Describe the ageing population in China with a statistic

Answer 24

3% increase in proportion of people over 60 between 2000 and 2010

Question 25

In the 1960s-70s how was Chinese migration characterised and where was migration to and from?

Answer 25

Very tightly controlled under communist ideology (until early 1980s) - very little migration outside the Chinese sphere (e.g. Hong King and Taiwan) - primarily students to Soviet Union or some specialist workers to developing countries such as Tanzania

Question 26

Describe the 2012 exit-entry law in China and why it was put in place (move to stricter immigration control again)

Answer 26

RMB 5,000 fine for individuals providing fake documentation or qualifications to unauthorised migrants
RMB 10,000 fine for employers of unauthorised migrants - so law also targets those assisting unauthorised migrants
RMB 20,000 fine for those working illegally
Anyone who becomes aware of illegal foreigners must notify authorities (under article 45) - and some local governments have provided incentives
Foreigners must register rented housing within 24 hours of arriving - if not receive RMB 2,000 fine - authorities have information about where foreigners live and when their visas expire

Question 27

Describe the concerns about “low-quality” migrant in China

Answer 27

In 1990s there were anxieties about low quality migrants not contributing to the country’s society or development - this was originally focused on large scale irregular immigration from North Korea and Vietnam, but after the economic crisis of 2008 the association is now also directed at migrants from around the world, including Europe and America
As well as this, recent protests by African immigrants in China have contributed to a fear of immigration as a threat to social stability