RUSSIA AND ITS NEIGHBORS

CHINESE MIGRANTS IN THE RUSSIAN FAR EAST

The author demonstrates that the Russian Far East is not a very attractive destination for Chinese emigrants. Legal migration is on a modest scale (80,000 entering Primorye Territory in 2000), and illegal migration has been effectively controlled since 1994 by tight visa controls and spot checks. Chinese migrants are unlikely to constitute more than 1 per cent of the population. Most of them come from the neighboring provinces of China's North-East (Manchuria) to earn some money from trade or casual labor in construction and agriculture. Few want to settle permanently in Russia.

The attitudes of local residents toward Chinese migrants are mixed. The traders are appreciated for bringing in goods that would otherwise be unavailable, such as fresh fruits and vegetables, for bringing down prices, and for providing revenue for local government budgets. At the same time, there is hostility toward Chinese who make a lot of money by smuggling out rare plant and animal products like ginseng, ash-tree wood, and parts from poached tigers, deer, and bears. Many think that Chinese take jobs away from Russians, undermine local industry, and generate crime.

Above all, many Far East residents see the migrants as forerunners of a tidal wave that will swamp the region over coming decades, even though the present situation gives scant reason to expect this to happen. Similarly, while most respondents do not expect military clashes with China over border territories in the near future, they see such clashes as more likely to occur than not in the next 5-20 years. "Local residents," concludes the author, "have a reservoir of goodwill and cultural interest in China, but perceptions of political, demographic, and economic insecurity overwhelm positive feelings."