Institutional Mechanisms as Applied to Return Migrants in Contemporary China

1
Institutional Mechanisms as Applied to Return
Migrants in Contemporary China

• Kun Chen
• University of California, Berkeley
• USA
• The Third Consultative Meeting of the MIREM
  Project
• 3-4 November 2008
• European University Institute, Florence, Italy

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Presentation Outline

• I. Terminologies of Chinese returnees
• II. Structural framework
• III. Legal system
• IV. Institutional supports
• V. Reflections and open questions

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I. Terminologies of Chinese Returnees

• Traditional returnees Guiqiao (general)
• Contemporary returnees Haigui (specific)

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Guiqiao returning sojourners

• Chinese returned migrants and/or their offspring
  from other countries, mainly from Southeast Asia.
• 35 million Chinese outside of China (18.3 of
  people living abroad in the world).
• 24 million in parts of Southeast Asia (74.5 of
  all overseas Chinese).
• Fastest growth in America and Canada 5 million
  (14), 4.6 increase in the past ten years.
• By 2000, 1.5 million in Europe (3.7).
• Guiqiao 1 million
• source china.com.cn

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Haigui returnees from overseas

• Highly educated professionals and students from
  America, Canada, Europe, Australia, Japan, etc
  after the economic reforms (the late 1970s)

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Numbers of students abroad and Haigui
Year Going abroad Returning to China Rate of returns
1996 270,000 89,000 32.9
1997 296,000 96,000 32.4
1998 302.000 99,000 32.7
1999 320,000 112,000 35
2000 340,000 130,000 38.2
2001 460,000 135,000 29.3
2002 585,000 153,000 26.2
2003 700,000 178,000 25.4
2004 814,000 198,000 24.3
2005 933,000 233,000 24.9
2006 1,067,000 275,000 25.8
2007 1,211,700 Source Wang, 2007 319,700 26.4
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• 1970s-2007 more than 1,211,700 Chinese from
  mainland China left to study in more than 100
  countries, and 319,700 returned to China
• PhDs 9, Masters 72, Bachelors 19
• Economics and management 49, Science and
  engineering 25, Social sciences and humanities
  14, Laws 6, Others 6
• America 32, Europe 28, Oceania 14, Asia
  25, Africa 0.5
• Source Ministry of Education Net
• Wang, Contemporary Chinese returnees (2007)

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II. Structural mechanism

• Peoples congress
• Government sectors
• Political associations
• Non-government organizations

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Structural mechanism

• Overseas Chinese Affairs Committee of the
  National Peoples Congress
• - the highest institution in charge of
  overseas Chinese affairs including Chinese living
  abroad and Chinese returnees
• - legislation and relevant political
  proposals

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Structural mechanism

• Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State
  Council
• Overseas Chinese Affairs Office at the provincial
  and municipal levels
• -Policy making and implementation
• -Relevant affairs

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Structural mechanism

• Chinese embassies in other countries
• -provide support and assistance to Chinese
  living abroad.
• -provide relevant documents for overseas
  Chinese before they return to China

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Structural mechanism

• Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and Overseas Chinese
  Affairs Committee of the Chinese Peoples
  Political Consultative Conference
• -discuss policies and laws related to overseas
  Chinese and returnees
• -monitor the implementation of polices and laws

13
Structural mechanism

• China Zhi Gong Party
• -a political party in China
• -members are Chinese returnees or relatives of
  overseas Chinese

14
Structural mechanism

• Chinese Association of Returned Overseas Chinese
  (QL)
• -an association that provides services to
  returned Chinese
• -in charge of political, business, cultural,
  social, and other grassroots affairs related to
  returned Chinese

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Structural mechanism

• Chinese Association of Overseas Exchange
• -organization to promote economic and cultural
  exchanges between Chinese returnees and foreign
  countries

16
Structural mechanism

• Other government sectors in charge of relevant
  work Ministry of Education, Ministry of Foreign
  Affairs, Ministry of Science and Technology,
  Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security

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Structural mechanism

• Beijing Chinese Language and Culture College,
  Jinan University, Huaqiao University,
• Chinese Enterprise Management Consulting
  Company
• Chinese QL Public Welfare Management Service
  Center
• Overseas Chinese Historical Museum
• Overseas Chinese History Research Institute
• Chinese QL Institutional Service Center
• Overseas Chinese Magazine, At Home and Overseas
  Magazine
• The Chinese Overseas Publishing House
• Chinaqw.com.cn

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III. Legal system Constitution of PRC

• - Article 50 Overseas Chinese, returnees and
  their family members rights and interests are
  protected in China.
• - Article 70 Overseas Chinese Committee in
  the National Peoples Congress has the right to
  study, discuss, and make relevant proposals
  regarding overseas Chinese and returnees.
• - Article 89 (12) The State Council has the
  right to protect overseas Chinese and returnees
  and their family members legal rights and
  interests.

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Other Laws

• Law of PRC on the Protection of the Rights and
  Interests of Returned Overseas Chinese and the
  Family Members of Overseas Chinese
  (implement1991 amendment2000)
• - basic rights, residence, employment status,
  political participation, housing, health care,
  travel, education, social welfare, etc

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Other Laws

• Measures for the Implementation of the Law of PRC
  on the Protection of the Rights and Interests of
  Returned Overseas Chinese and the Family Members
  of Overseas Chinese (implement 1993 amendment
  2004)

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IV. Institutional supports

• - Current supports mainly focus on attracting
  highly educated overseas Chinese to return to
  China (Haiguithose who study and/or work abroad
  and return to China)
• - Fundamental policy
• supporting Chinese to study abroad,
  encouraging them to return to China, and creating
  a free environment of traveling back and forth

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Relevant policies

• 1981 Open policy for self-financed students to
  study abroad
• 1985 Abolishment of the qualification
  evaluation for self-financed students to study
  abroad
• 1992 Notification about related issues
  regarding Chinese studying abroad
• 2000 Opinions about encouraging overseas
  high-profile Chinese studying abroad to return to
  work in China

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Relevant policies

• 2001 Several suggestions about encouraging
  Chinese studying abroad to serve the home country
  in multiple ways
• 2006 the Eleventh five year planning for
  returned overseas students
• 2007 Several suggestions about further
  strengthening the work to attract overseas
  outstanding talents Suggestions about
  building the green channel for high-profile
  returned overseas students (eight qualifications)

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Service agencies

• Western Returned Scholars Association
• Chinese Overseas Educated Scholars Association
• Chinese Service Center for Scholarly Exchange
• Association of Overseas Chinese Enterprises

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Financial support

• Starting funding for returned overseas
  researchers, teachers, and startups, etc
• Tax exemption and benefits

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Human resource programs

• Overseas Young Scholars back to China Plans
  (1990)
• New Centurys Outstanding Talents Plans (1991)
• National Outstanding Young Scientist Funds (1994)
  
• Hundred People Plans (1994)
• Chunhui (Spring sunshine) Plans (1996)
• Yangtze River Scholar Plans (1998)

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Educational support

• Academic exchange programs to finance students
  and scholars to study abroad
• Scholarships for students abroad

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Infrastructural support

• More than one hundred Returned Overseas Chinese
  Parks and high-tech zones housing 6,000 companies
  started by returnees

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Residential and family support

• Housing and residency benefits
• Spouses and Childrens benefits

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Information support

• Specialized information centers
• Websites
• Job/project fairs and database

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V. Reflections Pros

• 1. Positive historical discourses of returnees by
  the government, media, schools and the mass
• Returnees success value
• (collectively and individually)

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• 2. Strong ideology of returned overseas Chinese
• The meanings and motives of going abroad and
  returning
• nationalism (serve the country), sentiments
  (homesickness),
• strategies (self-development)

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• 3. Relatively mature ecosystem to support
  overseas Chinese both when they live abroad and
  return

34

• 4. Strong tangible supports from the government
  to legitimate returnees

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• 5. Ideological connection between returnees and
  technological and economic development in
  contemporary China
• - What can Haigui do for China (survey by
  Peoples Daily in 2007)
• Bring advanced scientific knowledge to drive
  national economic development 72
• Promote peoples mode of thinking to become more
  international 13
• Drive national economy to become globalized 9
• Bring foreign cultural elements 4
• - concrete facts in research and
  entrepreneurship
• e.g National scientific awards 67 (2006)
• Chinese companies listed on Nasdaq more than
  50
• Source Wang, 2007

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Pros of the Chinese return migration mechanisms
(cont.)

• 6. Strong returnee associations/political party
  to protect their own rights and interests

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• 7. Established returnee culture in key returnee
  clusters
• -Clusters of returnees
• e.g. Zhongguancun high-tech park, and CBD in
  east Beijing
• - Conferences and clubs
• - Informal events
• - Third places bars, coffee shops, dining,
  shopping, etc

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• 8. New trend of returnees and flexible system
• Seagulls Haiou-travelling back and forth

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Cons

• 1. Less attention to low-skilled returnees and
  compelled returnees
• 2. Institutional supports are concentrated in the
  fields of science and technology, and business,
  but not in social sciences and humanities, etc

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• 3a. Uneven geographical distribution of
  returnees too much attention in Beijing,
  Shanghai, Guangdong, and costal cities, and less
  attention in the West and North of China
• Costal cities in southeast 46
• BJ, SH and GD 24
• Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan 28
• Others 2
• Source Wang, 2007

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• 3b. Uneven employment distribution
• e.g foreign-based companies 27.2
• universities and research institutes
  17
• private companies 15.7
• start-ups 10.9
• state-owned enterprises 9.5
• government 3.4
• others 16.33
• Source Wang, 2007

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• 4. Highly educated returnees do not consider
  tangible supports effective or necessary, not the
  primary reason to drive them back (66 family
  reasons)
• - scattered financial supports, limited office
  renting plans, etc

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• 5. Getting institutional supports and resources
  become competitive due to a dramatic increase of
  returnees in the past few years

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• 6. immature financial system in China
• -difficult for startups to get sustainable
  investment
• - difficult to exit for startups

45

• 7. The uncertainty of intangible resources,
  social capital, education due to cultural limits
• e.g. guanxi politics (social relations)
• different education cultures for
  returnees children

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Open Questions

• 1. double citizenship?
• No double citizenship according to the
  Chinese law
• Vague strategies

47

• 2. More work is needed to consider the future
  return migration trend. How does China deal with
  the surplus labor market in rural China?
• How to build a mechanism to deal with the
  reintegration of rural migrant returnees?

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• Thank you!
• kunchen_at_berkeley.edu