Chinese labour migration to Southeast Asia
5 June 2018
Estimates by the United Nations’ (UN) Population Division indicate that the number of Chinese migrants has been on a steady rise, driven by their numbers in Southeast Asia. The number of Chinese individuals living abroad more than doubled from 4.2 million in 1990 to 9.5 million in 2015. Of that number, more than half can be attributed to migration to parts of Asia – primarily Southeast Asia.

Another factor prompting a new wave of Chinese emigration to Southeast Asia is the ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Along with this flow of lucrative Chinese foreign direct investment into billion-dollar infrastructure projects in Brunei, Cambodia, the Philippines and Indonesia – just to name a few – comes the movement of state employees, workers, entrepreneurs and their family members to these countries.

According to Raya Muttarak, Director at the Wittgenstein Centre for Demography and Global Human Capital, public attitudes towards Chinese migrants in BRI countries are dependent on the skill level of these individuals. This is not a far cry from the general pattern of attitudes towards immigrants – where those from lower rungs of the socioeconomic ladder are perceived negatively as opposed to more skilled labour.

With plans for the BRI showing relatively no signs of slowing down, BRI countries in the region must expect a subsequent rise in Chinese migration to their shores. Judging by recent global experiences with migration, this inevitability would probably open up a Pandora’s Box of issues related to the integration of Chinese migrants into local communities. Whether the end product of Chinese migration serves to be a boon or bane to Southeast Asian nations may very well depend on the quality of such integration.
https://theaseanpost.com/article/chines ... heast-asia

In the PP Post today:

Earlier this year, Preah Sihanouk Provincial Governor Yun Min noted that of the 6,485 requests for foreign work permits in the province in the past year, 4,498 were from Chinese nationals.

Min noted that the construction sector was staffed with foreign workers, and small businesses run by them were out-competing locally owned businesses.

This has led to a rise in costs for rent and homes, which adversely affected civil servants, who have seen a decline in their standard of living.

Major General Kul Phaly, the deputy commissioner of the Preah Sihanouk provincial police, also said that cases of money laundering, illegal casino operations and human trafficking have risen.

https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/ ... h-sihanouk