China
China (© bpb)China (© bpb)
Lan Diao, Maren Opitz
Introduction
The population of the People’s Republic of China is characterized by ethnic and cultural heterogeneity. Although around 90 percent of the Chinese population is Han-Chinese, they should not be regarded as a homogenous group. Besides the Han nationality, there are 55 other nationalities. Only about 0.1 percent of the population are foreigners.
Lan Diao, Maren Opitz
The Historical Development of Migration
In the past, China has experienced both emigration and immigration. In the 19th and 20th century many foreigners moved to metropolises like Shanghai while many Chinese nationals emigrated due to war und hunger crises. The founding of the People’s Republic in 1949 led to the remigration of Chinese citizens from abroad. Since the implementation of reform politics in the late 1970s more and more foreigners have been coming to China for both temporary and long-term stays.
Lan Diao, Maren Opitz
Current Migration Development
Since the year 2000 the foreign population in China has grown by 35 per cent, but in comparison to the total population of China the number of foreigners ist still small. Furthermore, the number of emigrants considerably exceeds the number of immigrants.
Lan Diao, Maren Opitz
Migration Policies
In the People's Republic of China the entry and exit conditions for foreigners are heavily regulated. Only a small number of foreigners live in China permanently. Since 2004 foreigners may apply for a 10-year permanent residence permit. Since 2008 China has been attempting to attract highly skilled foreigners and Overseas Chinese with various programs. However, Chinese legislation concerning the employment of foreigners is still very strict.
Lan Diao, Maren Opitz
The Immigrant Population
The largest group of foreign migrants in China are from Asia, especially Korea. But there are considerable groups of migrants from North America, Europe, India and Australia. Most foreigners live in the cities of Shanghai or Beijing and the provinces along the coast.
Lan Diao, Maren Opitz
Citizenship
The Chinese citizenship law is based on the principle of jus sanguinis and does not permit dual citizenship. Naturalization of non-ethnic Chinese foreigners is possible only under specific conditions and thought to be rather uncommon.
Lan Diao, Maren Opitz
Integration
Chinese integration politics focuses primarily on the integration of internal migrants and national minorities as well as the integration of Overseas Chinese who wish to resettle in China. Discrimination against national minorities is prohibited, but minorities are not able to take legal action to defend their rights because of a lack of due process. Some regions with higher percentages of foreign workers have legal provisions for the integration of foreigners.
Lan Diao, Maren Opitz
Refuge and Asylum
China has ratified the Geneva Convention on Refugees, however there is no asylum law and there are no corresponding state institutions. The majority of asylum seekers and refugees are ethnic Chinese from Vietnam. But there is also a small number of refugees coming from Somalia, Iraq, Pakistan and North Korea.
Lan Diao, Maren Opitz
Irregular Migration
Irregular migration in China is increasing. Some of these migrants are traders from Africa or women entering the country in order to get married. Other migrants come from neighboring countries to work in Chinese agriculture or industry. Regulations on irregular migration are very strict, but there are also pragmatic approaches.
Lan Diao, Maren Opitz
Current Developments and Future Challenges
Despite an increase of immigration to china, the net population change is negative. The numbers of emigrants are still surpassing those immigrating and demographic change is bound to diminish the working population. The implementation of a national migration policy and the enacting of a national asylum law will be important future challenges.
References
Here you can find references and further reading for Country Profile 29: "China" by Lan Diao and Maren Opitz .
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