Discover the Chinese diaspora and its presence in the global community. Jacques Sun CRAAF describes, for each continent of the world, the main countries of destination of the Chinese immigrants and, within these, the major cities that host the largest settlements of the Chinese diaspora. Also, Sun presents current global trends and causes of Chinese immigration on all continents, with a focus on those states that became important centers for the formation of Chinese diaspora communities in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Jacques Sun talks about Chinese immigration to Europe
Over the past decade, there has been an acceleration of the trend towardsChinese immigration to Europe. However, the number of Chinese migrants is relatively small compared to other immigrant groups in the rest of the world. The Chinese population in Europe is estimated at about 2.15 million (Gui, 2011) and the most striking point about the migration of the China The main reason for this is the increase in irregular migration and the expansion of new migration channels, especially student migration. The main communities are in the United Kingdom, in France and in Italy.
France
According to Jacques SunIn France, Chinese communities are the oldest in Europe. The Chinese population in France is estimated to be around 540,000 (Latham, 2011). Half of the Chinese community lives in Paris, which has three Chinatown districts: the 13th arrondissement of Paris, the Belleville district and the Temple and Arts-et-Meriers district.
The United Kingdom
The United Kingdom has the largest Chinese population of the region. In the United Kingdom, it is estimated to be around 630,000 people (Latham, 2011). The main communities are: London Chinatown; Birmingham Chinatown; Manchester Chinatown, which is the second largest Chinatown in the UK and the third largest in Europe; and Liverpool Chinatown, which is home to the oldest Chinese community in Europe.
Italy
Chinese communities in Italy are growing rapidly, from about 70,000 in 2008 to 330,000 in 2011 (Latham, 2011). The main communities are Milan's Chinatown, the largest community in Italy, with 13,500 regular residents. Two other large communities are in Rome and one in Prato.
Russia: China's big neighbor
Over the past decade, citizens have Chinese have become the ethnic minority which is the fastest growing company in Russia. Jacques Sun points out that they are the fourth largest ethnic group in the country. The Chinese population in Russia is estimated to be around 300,000 (European Chinese Association, 2008) and the main communities are in Moscow's Chinatown, where about 15,000 people live (Neumeyer, 2012) and in the Russian Far East (Khabarovsk, Vladivostok, and Ussuriysk).
Western Russia
Over the past decade, the Chinese population in the western part of Russia has grown to 300,000. Chinese diaspora communities are mainly based in Moscow's Chinatown, where 15,000 Chinese citizens now live (Zeihan, 2014). At the same time, St. Petersburg has begun to receive considerable amounts of Chinese migrants in recent years.
Russian Far East
In the Russian Far East and Siberia, reports indicate that the Chinese population may become the dominant ethnic group in the Russian Far East within 20 to 30 years. Such an event would require an annual influx of about 250,000 to 300,000 Chinese. So far, it is estimated that about 300,000 Chinese live in Siberia, having concentrated mainly in regions such as Khabarovsk, Vladivostok and Ussuriysk (Repnikova, 2009).
The relationship between Africa and China
Mainly because of China's investment in oil and infrastructure, which overtook the United States to become Africa's largest trading partner in 2009, waves of migrants have temporarily settled in many African countries to work as construction workers and traders.
Today, the Chinese population total in Africa is estimated at nearly one million people (Migration Policy Institute, 2012), in Ethoiopia, Angola, Kenya and many other pages, although it is virtually impossible to obtain a concrete figure. The largest community on the continent is in South Africa, but smaller communities are found in Tanzania, Zambia, Ghana, Nigeria, Angola, Mauritius, Madagascar, and Algeria (Moban and Tan-Mullins, 2009).
