Migration in China

There are several types of migration that affect China. These include immigration, reverse/frontier migration, emigration, and rural to urban migration. Each of these types of migration has issues that are associated with them.

There is only a small amount of immigration to China. Currently, the only significant immigration to China is by Chinese returning from overseas. Since 1949, there have been several million overseas Chinese that have returned to China. They have been enticed to return by many things, including affordable housing, food and recreation, a sense of belonging, and improved transportation and telecommunications. There a have also been some refugee immigrants. There were between 160,000 and 250,000 ethnic Chinese that fled to Southern China from Vietnam when relations between China and Vietnam worsened in 1978-1979. In recent times, there have been some North Koreans immigrating into North Eastern China – there were 1,850 in 2004. However, China views them as illegal economic migrants, instead of refuges, and sends many of them back. There aren’t any major issues relating to immigration into China, because of the relatively small amount of immigration in comparison to the total population of China.

The first major emigration out of China was by coolies, who were illiterate, poorly educated peasants and manual labourers. The emigration of coolies from the 19th century to 1949 was mainly caused by wars, starvation, and political corruption. They were often promised good pay and good working conditions, and signed onto labour contracts before being sent to places such as the Americas and Australia. However, most coolies were treated badly, and this was a major issue. Many died on route to South America and South Africa. They were often cheated out of their wages, and were unable to return to China after their labour contracts were finished. On one pepper estate, it was recorded that out of 50 coolies hired, only 2 survived half a year. For the most part, there have been strict controls preventing the emigration of large numbers of people. More recently, though, more and more people are being allowed to leave for different reasons. There is an increasing number of Chinese being allowed to move overseas to join family and friends. Also, many Chinese scholars and students are allowed to study overseas. In 1985 there were 15,000 in the United States alone. There are also more than 2,000 Tibetans that cross the border into Nepal as refugees. The Chinese government doesn’t want this happening, and has pressured Nepalese authorities to send them back.