Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-lnqnp Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-18T06:07:02.291Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

5 - China

Focusing on Low-Cost and Low-Key Administrative and Diplomatic Initiatives

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 December 2024

By
Andrea Ghiselli
Edited by
Klaus Brummer  and
Šumit Ganguly
Klaus Brummer
Affiliation:
Katholische Universiteit Eichstätt, Germany
Šumit Ganguly
Affiliation:
Hoover Institution, Stanford University, California
Get access

Summary

Chinese nationals working, studying, and living overseas have always been an important issue for Chinese policy-makers, who have adopted a variety of policies to protect, support, attract back, and monitor them. This first section of this chapter provides an overview of the presence of Chinese nationals overseas, where they are mostly located, and the factors that shape their presence. It then analyzes the main regulatory and diplomatic efforts made by the Chinese state to protect them. The policies adopted by the Chinese government to support and manage the Chinese diaspora, as well as lure back those highly educated nationals who are seen as an important source of innovation for the Chinese economy are discussed in the second half of the chapter. This discussion is followed by an analysis of the evolution of China’s military activities aimed at protecting Chinese citizens overseas. Overall, it emerges that the Chinese state has invested significant bureaucratic and diplomatic resources in these activities, preferring to keep a low profile in military terms.

Keywords

Chinaconsular protectiondiasporaeconomic developmentinterests overseas
Type
Chapter
Information
States and their Nationals Abroad
Support, Co-Opt, Repress
 , pp. 107 - 130
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2024

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Alden, Chris, and Aggad-Clerx, Faten (2021) Chinese Investments and Employment Creation in Algeria and Egypt. African Development Bank. Available at: www.afdb.org/fileadmin/uploads/afdb/Documents/Publications/Brochure%20China%20Anglais.pdf.Google Scholar
Benabdallah, Lina (2020) Shaping the Future of Power: Knowledge Production and Network-Building in China-Africa Relations. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blanchard, Ben (2017) China Says Three of Most Wanted Graft Suspects Let Off. Reuters. May 11. Available at: www.reuters.com/article/china-corruption-idINKBN18705A.Google Scholar
Bloomberg (2018) Chinese Workers Abandon Silicon Valley for Riches Back Home. January 11. Available at: www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-01-10/chinese-workers-abandon-silicon-valley-for-riches-back-home?leadSource=uverify%20wall.Google Scholar
Bueno De Mesquita, Bruce, and Smith, Alastair (2010) Leader Survival, Revolutions, and the Nature of Government Finance. American Journal of Political Science 54(4), 936–950.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carrozza, Ilaria, and Marsh, Nicholas J. (2022) Great Power Competition and China’s Security Assistance to Africa: Arms, Training, and Influence. Journal of Global Security Studies 7(4). Available at: https://doi.org/10.1093/jogss/ogac027.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
China Daily (2007) 胡锦涛在党的十七大上的报告 (Hu Jintao’s Report to the 17th National Congress of the CCP). October 25. Available at: www.chinadaily.com.cn/hqzg/2007-10/25/content_6205616_9.htm (in Chinese).Google Scholar
China Daily (2018) China Will Intensify Efforts to Encourage Return of Overseas Talent. April 4. Available at: https://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/201804/04/WS5ac4e4e2a3105cdcf6516563.html.Google Scholar
China Daily (2022) Overseas Students Returning Home in Search of Better Career Prospects. September 6. Available at: https://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202209/06/WS63169212a310fd2b29e761ac.html.Google Scholar
Corkin, Lucy (2011) Redefining Foreign Policy Impulses toward Africa: The Roles of the MFA, the MOFCOM and China Exim Bank. Journal of Current Chinese Affairs 40(1), 61–90.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Daum, Jeremy (2022) “Overseas Police Stations?”: A Clearer Look. China Law Translate. November 3. Available at: www.chinalawtranslate.com/overseas-police-stations-a-clearer-look/#_edn7.Google Scholar
Department of Trade and External Economic Relations Statistics; National Bureau Statistics (various years) 中国贸易外经统计年鉴 (China Trade and External Economic Statistical Yearbook). Beijing: China Statistics Press.Google Scholar
Department of Trade and External Economic Relations Statistics, National Bureau of Statistics (2008) China Trade and Economic Statistical Yearbook. Beijing: China Statistics Press.Google Scholar
Driessen, Miriam (2021) Chinese Workers in Ethiopia Caught between Remaining and Returning. Pacific Affairs 92(2), 329–346.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Erickson, Andrew S., and Strange, Austin M. (2015) Six Years at Sea … and Counting: Gulf of Aden Anti-piracy and China’s Maritime Commons Presence. Washington, DC: Jamestown Foundation.Google Scholar
Fan, Yiying (2017) Chinese Grads Return Home with Degrees and Disillusionment. Sixth Tone. November 10. Available at: www.sixthtone.com/news/1001154/chinese-grads-return-home-with-degrees-and-disillusionment.Google Scholar
Foschini, Giuliano (2022) Le stazioni di polizia cinesi in Italia sono fuori legge, Piantedosi: “Pronto a sanzionarli” (Chinese Police Stations Are Illegal, Piantendosi: “We Are Ready to Punish Them”). La Repubblica. December 7. Available at: www.repubblica.it/cronaca/2022/12/07/news/le_stazioni_di_polizia_cinesi_in_italia_sono_fuori_legge_piantedosi_pronto_a_sanzionarli-377967845/.Google Scholar
Fung, Courtney (2019) China and Intervention at the UN Security Council: Reconciling Status. Oxford: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ghiselli, Andrea (2020) Market Opportunities and Political Responsibilities: The Difficult Development of Chinese Private Security Companies Abroad. Armed Forces & Society 46(1), 25–45.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ghiselli, Andrea (2021) Protecting China’s Interests Overseas: Securitization and Foreign Policy. Oxford: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ghiselli, Andrea, and Morgan, Pippa (2021a) A Turbulent Silk Road: China’s Vulnerable Foreign Policy in the Middle East and North Africa. China Quarterly 247, 641–661.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ghiselli, Andrea, and Morgan, Pippa (2021b) Built by China: China’s Global Economic and Human Presence beyond Aid and Investment. Unpublished manuscript.Google Scholar
Ghiselli, Andrea, and Morgan, Pippa (2022) Building Legitimacy? The Role of Chinese Contract Workers in Foreign Regimes’ Political Strategies. Review of International Political Economy. Latest articles. Available at: www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09692290.2022.2127833?journalCode=rrip20.Google Scholar
Girma, Lebawit Lili (2024) Chinese Tourists Are Again Embracing International Travel. Bloomberg, April 24. Available at: www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-04-24/chinese-tourists-are-again-embracing-international-travel-in-2024.Google Scholar
Global Times (2017) 利比亚撤侨舰长谈利比亚撤侨舰长谈《战狼2》：‘中国海军不会像电影中那样反应迟缓 ! (The Captain That Participated in the Evacuation from Libya Discusses “Wolf Warrior 2”: “The Navy Would Not React So Slowly Like in the Movie!), November 30. Available at: https://world.huanqiu.com/article/9CaKrnK4xU2 (in Chinese).Google Scholar
Huang, Keira Lu (2015) China Ramps Up Global Manhunt for Corrupt Officials with Operation ‘Skynet’. South China Morning Post. March 26. Available at: www.scmp.com/news/article/1748113/china-ramps-global-manhunt-fugitive-corrupt-officials-skynet.Google Scholar
Huang, Kunlun (2011) 全球化时代的国家利益观 (Outlook on the National Interests in a Globalized Era). PLA Daily. March 15. Available at: http://mil.news.sina.com.cn/2011-03-15/0330637667.html (in Chinese).Google Scholar
Iacoella, Francesco, Martorano, Bruno, Metzger, Laura, and Sanfilippo, Marco (2021) Chinese Official Finance and Political Participation in Africa. European Economic Review 136, doi.org/10.1016/j.euroecorev.2021.103741.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kardon, Isaac (2022) China’s Global Maritime Access: Alternatives to Overseas Military Bases in the Twenty-First Century. Security Studies., doi.org/10.1080/09636412.2022.2137429.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lai, Jingchao (2012) 外交部副司长：部分海外公民对政府提无理要求 (Deputy Director of the MFA: Some Overseas Citizens Make Unreasonable Demands on the Government). Chinanews.com. Available at: www.chinanews.com/gn/2012/04–25/3843849.shtml (in Chinese).Google Scholar
Li, Haibo (2012) 海外中国公民领事保护问题研究 (1978–2011) (Research on China’s Consular Protection (1979–2011)). Guangzhou: Jinan University Press.Google Scholar
Li, Haipi (2016) 中国领事保护持续发展探析 (An Analysis of the Sustainable Development of China’s Consular Protection). Contemporary International Relations 6, 9–14.Google Scholar
Lin, Ulrica (2024) China’s International Students under Pressure as Economic Uncertainty Looms. CNBC, May 14. Available at: www.cnbc.com/2024/05/15/chinas-overseas-students-under-pressure-amid-economic-uncertainty.html.Google Scholar
Lowy Institute (2022) Global Diplomatic Index. Available at: https://globaldiplomacyindex.lowyinstitute.org/country_rank.html.Google Scholar
Lynch, Colum (2014) U.N. Peacekeepers to Protect China’s Oil Interests in South Sudan. Foreign Policy. Available at: https://foreignpolicy.com/2014/06/16/u-n-peacekeepers-to-protect-chinas-oil-interests-in-south-sudan/.Google Scholar
Marini, Giulio, and Yang, Lili (2021) Globally Bred Chinese Talents Returning Home: An Analysis of a Reverse Brain-Drain Flagship Policy. Science and Public Policy 4(48), 541–552.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Men, Honghua (2009) 要加强对中国海外利益的研究 (It Is Necessary to Boost the Research on China’s Overseas Interests). Study Times. June 15. Available at: http://theory.people.com.cn/GB/136457/9472800.html (in Chinese).Google Scholar
Mueller, Joris (2022) China’s Foreign Aid: Political Determinants and Economic Effects. Working Paper. Available at: www.jorismueller.com/files/chinaaid_latest_draft.pdf.Google Scholar
Murphy, Dawn C. (2022) China’s Rise in the Global South: The Middle East, Africa, and Beijing’s Alternative World Order. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.Google Scholar
National Bureau of Statistics of China. Available at: www.stats.gov.cn/tjsj/ndsj/2021/indexeh.htm.Google Scholar
Ni, Vincent (2022) ‘It Came Too Late’: Chinese Students Who Fled Ukraine Criticise Embassy Response. The Guardian. March 8. Available at: www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/08/chinese-students-fled-ukraine-condemn-embassy-response.Google Scholar
Parello-Plesner, Jonas, and Duchâtel, Mathieu (2015) China’s Strong Arm: Protecting Citizens and Assets Abroad. New York: Routledge.Google Scholar
People’s Daily (2010) 戴秉国: 所谓的中国的战略意图不想有些人想得那么复杂 (Dai Bingguo: The So-Called China’s Strategy Is Not as Complex as Some People Think). December 7. Available at: http://politics.people.com.cn/GB/1026/13417139.html (in Chinese).Google Scholar
People’s Daily (2018) Full Text: Report on the Work of the Government (2). April 3. Available at: http://en.people.cn/n3/2018/0403/c90000-9445262-2.html.Google Scholar
People’s Daily (2022) China’s Shenzhen Draws Returned Overseas Chinese Talent. April 14. Available at: http://en.people.cn/n3/2022/0414/c90000-10083785.html.Google Scholar
Phoenix (2011) 大撤侨也凸显中国软肋：徐州号上阵存在偶然因素 (The Evacuation Exposes China’s Weakness: It Was Only by Chance That the Xuzhou Warship Was There), July 3. Available at: http://news.ifeng.com/mil/4/detail_2011_03/07/5012988_0.shtml (in Chinese).Google Scholar
PLA Academy of Military Science, Strategic Research Department (2013) 战略学 (The Science of Military Strategy). Beijing: Military Science Press.Google Scholar
PRC Information Office of the State Council (2004) China’s National Defense in 2004. Available at: www.china.org.cn/e-white/20041227/I.htm.Google Scholar
PRC Information Office of the State Council (2008) China’s National Defense in 2008. Available at: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-01/20/content_10688124.htm.Google Scholar
PRC Information Office of the State Council (2011) China’s Peaceful Development. Available at: http://english1.english.gov.cn/official/2011-09/06/content_1941354.htm.Google Scholar
PRC Information Office of the State Council (2013) The Diversified Employment of China’s Armed Forces. Available at: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2013-04/16/c_132312681.htm.Google Scholar
PRC Ministry of Commerce (2008) 对外承包工程管理条例 (Administrative Regulation on Contracting Foreign Projects). Available at: www.mofcom.gov.cn/article/swfg/swfgbi/201101/20110107352097.shtml (in Chinese).Google Scholar
PRC Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2002) China’s Position Paper on the New Security Concept, 2002. Available at: www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/wjb_663304/zzjg_663340/gjs_665170/gjzzyhy_665174/2612_665212/2614_665216/t15319.shtml.Google Scholar
PRC Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2015) Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hong Lei’s Regular Press Conference on November 11, 2015. November 11. Available at: www.mfa.gov.cn/ce/cohk//eng/xwdt/wjbt/t1313996.htm.Google Scholar
PRC Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2022) President Xi Jinping Meets with Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif. November 2. Available at: www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/zxxx_662805/202211/t20221102_10797417.html.Google Scholar
PRC National People’s Congress (2018) 中华人民共和国反恐怖主义法 (PRC Antiterrorism Law). December 6. Available at: www.npc.gov.cn/zgrdw/npc/xinwen/2018-06/12/content_2055871.htm (in Chinese).Google Scholar
PRC State Council (2020) China, Tajikistan to Improve Security, Law Enforcement Cooperation. Available at: http://english.www.gov.cn/statecouncil/zhaokezhi/202009/18/content_WS5f63e7b7c6d0f7257693c274.html.Google Scholar
Qiu, Stella, and Glenn, Elias (2018) Chinese Tech Firms Narrowing Pay Gap with Silicon Valley as State Pours Money into IT, Surveillance. Japan Times. January 25. Available at: www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/01/25/business/tech/chinese-tech-firms-narrowing-pay-gap-silicon-valley-state-pours-money-surveillance.Google Scholar
Rotella, Sebastian, and Berg, Kirsten (2021) “Operation Fox Hunt: How China Exports Repression Using a Network of Spies Hidden in Plain Sight. ProPublica. July 22. Available at: www.propublica.org/article/operation-fox-hunt-how-china-exports-repression-using-a-network-of-spies-hidden-in-plain-sight.Google Scholar
Schrader, Matt (2019) “Chinese Assistance Centers” Grow United Front Work Department Global Presence. China Brief 19(1), 1–5.Google Scholar
Sharma, Yojama (2018) Luring Back Talent Is Top Priority to Fuel Innovation. University World News. March 8. Available at: www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20180308174428919.Google Scholar
Song, Zhifang (2019) Global Chinese Diaspora. In Ratuva, Steven (ed.), The Palgrave Handbook of Ethnicity. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 1167–1183.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Southern News Network (2011) 中国企业在利比亚资产达188亿美元 损失难估量 (Chinese Companies Lost Contracts Worth USD 18 Billion, It Is Difficult to Assess the Damage). April 24. Available at: http://finance.huanqiu.com/roll/2011-03/1584398.html (in Chinese).Google Scholar
The Guardian (2023) China Has Closed Unofficial ‘Police Stations’ in Britain, UK Minister Says. June 6. Available at: www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jun/07/china-has-closed-unofficial-police-stations-in-britain-uk-minister-says#:~:text=3%20months%20old-,China%20has%20closed%20unofficial%20’police%20stations,in%20Britain%2C%20UK%20minister%20says&text=The%20UK%20security%20minister%2C%20Tom,Chinese%20state%20at%20these%20sites.Google Scholar
The News (2020) Law Enforcement: China Ready to Boost Cooperation with Pakistan. September 9. Available at: www.thenews.com.pk/print/712293-law-enforcement-china-ready-to-boost-cooperation-with-pakistan.Google Scholar
The Observer (2015) 马里恐袭3名中国人遇害 中国维和部队为什么不去救？(Three Chinese Killed during a Terrorist Attack in Mali, Why Did the Chinese Peacekeepers Not Go to Save Them?). November 21. Available at: www.guancha.cn/Third-World/2015_11_21_342088.shtml (in Chinese).Google Scholar
Thorne, Sharon, and Cod, Emma (2018) How China Is Winning Back More Graduates from Foreign Universities Than Ever Before. Forbes. January 25. Available at: www.forbes.com/sites/ljkelly/2018/01/25/how-china-is-winning-back-more-graduates-from-foreign-universities-than-ever-before/?sh=659aba875c1e.Google Scholar
Times Higher Education (2011) Eastern Stars: Universities of China’s C9 League Excel in Select Fields. February 17. Available at: www.timeshighereducation.com/news/eastern-stars-universities-of-chinas-c9-league-excel-in-select-fields/415193.article?storyCode=415193&sectioncode=26.Google Scholar
Timmons, Heather (2015) China’s “Operation Fox Hunt” Just Bagged a Trophy in Italy. Quartz. February 4. Available at: https://qz.com/338634/chinas-operation-fox-hunt-just-bagged-an-economic-fugitive-in-italy.Google Scholar
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs – Population Division (2020) International Migrant Stock. Available at: www.un.org/development/desa/pd/content/international-migrant-stock.Google Scholar
World Bank (2022) International Tourism, Number of Departures – China. Available at: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/ST.INT.DPRT?locations=CN.Google Scholar
Wright, Joseph, Frantz, Erica, and Geddes, Barbara (2015) Oil and Autocratic Regime Survival. British Journal of Political Science 45(2), 287–306.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wu, Wenbin, and Cui, Tongchen (2012) 中国驻苏维和部队官兵辩证看待华工被劫事件 (Chinese Peacekeepers in Sudan Look at the Kidnapping of Chinese Workers Dialectically). Jiangsu Daily. February 6. Available at: http://js.people.com.cn/html/2012/02/06/75416.html (in Chinese).Google Scholar
Xia, Liping (2016) 中国领事保护需求与外交投入的矛盾及解决方式 (On the Contradiction of the Chinese Consular Protection Service and Diplomatic Input and Its Solutions). Journal of International Studies 4, 10–25.Google Scholar
Xia, Liping (2021) Consular Protection with Chinese Characteristics: Challenges and Solutions. The Hague Journal of Diplomacy 16(2–3), 253–276.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Xiang, Wenhui (2017) 中国的海外公民保护 – 战略实施、制约因素及策略应对 (The Protection of Chinese Citizens Abroad: Strategic Measures, Constraints, and Policy Responses). Global Review 4, 87–103.Google Scholar
Xinhua (2012) 十八大报告 (Report to the 18th National Congress of the CCP). November 8. Available at: www.xj.xinhuanet.com/2012-11/19/c_113722546.htm (in Chinese).Google Scholar
Xinhua (2014) 中国维和部队积极应对南苏丹紧张局势履 行维和义务 (Chinese Peacekeepers Actively Respond to Tensions in South Sudan Fulfilling Their Duty). January 3. Available at: www.gov.cn/jrzg/2014-01/03/content_2559512.htm (in Chinese).Google Scholar
Xinhua (2018) China to Enhance Cooperation on Law Enforcement Security with Other SCO Countries, May 22. Available at: www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-05/22/c_137195896.htm.Google Scholar
Xinhua (2020a) China, Serbia to Enhance Cooperation on Law Enforcement, Security. May 21.Google Scholar
Xinhua (2020b) Senior Officials of China, Myanmar Meet on Law-Enforcement Cooperation. May 8. Available at: www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-05/09/c_137164815.htm.Google Scholar
Xinhua (2021) China, Ethiopia Ink Accord on Establishing Security Safeguarding Mechanism for Major Projects under BRI. March 7. Available at: www.xinhuanet.com/english/2021-03/07/c_139792150.htm.Google Scholar
Yang, Yang (2013) 中国领事保护中存在的问题及对策 (The Problems of China’s Consular Protection System and Solutions). Journal of International Studies 2, 17–29 [in Chinese].Google Scholar
Zerba, Shaio H. (2014) China’s Libya Evacuation Operation: A New Diplomatic Imperative – Overseas Citizen Protection. Journal of Contemporary China 23(90), 1093–1112.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zhang, Lantao (2004) 关于“和平崛起”与新安全观的理论思考 (Thoughts about “Peaceful Rise” and the New Security Concept). Journal of the University of International Relations 5, 6–9.Google Scholar
Zweig, David (2006) Competing for Talent: China’s Strategies to Reverse the Brain Drain. International Labor Review 145(1–2), 65–90.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

  • China
  • Edited by Klaus Brummer, Katholische Universiteit Eichstätt, Germany, Šumit Ganguly, Hoover Institution, Stanford University, California
  • Book: States and their Nationals Abroad
  • Online publication: 04 December 2024
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009531986.005
Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

  • China
  • Edited by Klaus Brummer, Katholische Universiteit Eichstätt, Germany, Šumit Ganguly, Hoover Institution, Stanford University, California
  • Book: States and their Nationals Abroad
  • Online publication: 04 December 2024
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009531986.005
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • China
  • Edited by Klaus Brummer, Katholische Universiteit Eichstätt, Germany, Šumit Ganguly, Hoover Institution, Stanford University, California
  • Book: States and their Nationals Abroad
  • Online publication: 04 December 2024
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009531986.005
Available formats
×