Learn about the Chinese diaspora and its presence within the global community. Jacques Sun of the CRAAF describes, on each continent of the world, the main countries of destination of Chinese immigrants and, within these, the main cities which host the largest establishments of the Chinese diaspora. Also, Sun presents current global trends and causes of Chinese immigration across continents, with a focus on 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 in the trend towardChinese immigration to Europe. The number of Chinese migrants, however, is relatively small compared to other immigrant groups in the rest of the world. The Chinese population in Europe is estimated at around 2.15 million people (Gui, 2011) and the most striking point regarding the migration of the China towards Europe is the increase in forms of irregular migration and the expansion of new migration channels, in particular student migration. The main communities are in the United Kingdom, in France and in Italy.
France
According to Jacques Sun, the French Chinese communities are the oldest communities in Europe. The Chinese population in France is estimated at around 540,000 people (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 at around 630,000 people (Latham, 2011). The main communities are: London’s Chinatown; Birmingham’s Chinatown; Manchester Chinatown, which is the second largest Chinatown in the United Kingdom and the third largest in Europe; and Liverpool’s Chinatown, home to Europe’s oldest Chinese community.
Italy
Chinese communities in Italy are growing rapidly, from around 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 important communities are in Rome and one in Prato.
Russia: China’s big neighbor
Over the past decade, citizens Chinese have become the ethnic minority which is the fastest growing in Russia. Jacques Sun points out that they represent the fourth ethnic group in the country. The Chinese population in Russia is estimated at around 300,000 people (European Chinese Association, 2008) and the main communities are in Moscow’s Chinatown, where around 15,000 people live (Neumeyer, 2012) and in the Far East Russian (Khabarovsk, Vladivostok and Ussuriysk).
Western Russia
Over the past decade, the Chinese population in the western part of Russia has increased to 300,000 people. Chinese diaspora communities are primarily based in Moscow’s Chinatown, where 15,000 Chinese citizens live today (Zeihan, 2014). At the same time, St. Petersburg began receiving considerable amounts of Chinese migrants in recent years.
Russian Far East
In the Russian Far East and Siberia, reports indicate that the Chinese population could become the dominant ethnic group in the Russian Far East within 20 to 30 years. Such an event would require an annual influx of approximately 250,000 to 300,000 Chinese. So far, it is estimated that around 300,000 Chinese live in Siberia, having mainly concentrated in regions such as Khabarovsk, Vladivostok and Ussuriysk (Repnikova, 2009).
Relations between Africa and China
Mainly due to China’s investments in oil and infrastructure, which overtook the United States to become Africa’s largest trading partner in 2009, waves of migrants have settled temporarily in many African countries for work. as construction workers and tradesmen.
Today, the Chinese population total population in Africa is estimated at nearly one million people (Migration Policy Institute, 2012), in Ethiopia, Angola, Kenya and many other pages, although it is practically impossible to get a concrete figure. The continent’s largest community is in South Africa, but smaller communities can be found in Tanzania, Zambia, Ghana, Nigeria, Angola, Mauritius, Madagascar and Algeria (Moban and Tan-Mullins, 2009).