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CHINA’s capital Beijing is home to about 120,000 foreign nationals. Their rising numbers add to the city’s diversity and dynamism, but also pose a challenge – an administrative challenge – for government at different levels. A 100-day crackdown launched in May marks the country’s first open attempt to target illegal aliens in Beijing.
The crackdown will run until August and will mainly focus on foreigners who have entered the country illegally. Also targeted are foreigners lacking correct resident permits and illegal workers. Chinese officials call these violations the “three illegalities.”
some feel the campaign is a sign, indicating that China’s attitude toward foreigners has shifted since 2008. The Olympics theme song Beijing Welcomes You has faded from the streets in the last four years. Is China’s gate still open wide to the outside world?
An emerging problem
Although officials deny the connection, many people believe the crackdown was triggered by two recent incidents of inappropriate behavior by foreigners in China.
Earlier in May, a video showing a British man sexually assaulting a Chinese girl went viral on the Internet, garnering more than a million hits. The perpetrator, it was later discovered, held a tourist visa.
Fuel was added to the fire following an incident involving a Russian cellist. The musician was caught on camera verbally abusing a female passenger while traveling by train.
The two videos incurred public wrath online immediately. In a survey on sina Weibo, the popular Chinese microblogging service, around 94 percent of respondents voted that foreigners entering China should be scrutinized. Details up for inspection, they felt, should include information such as sufficient cash funds, property and job status.
“Not all foreigners in China should be treated as friends,”wrote one netizen called Lizi in a comment. “Many are loafers in their country and seek opportunities to do bad things in China.”
Data shows that a fast growing economy is turning China into a new destination for the “three illegalities.” Last year, authorities handled over 20,000 cases of foreigners committing one or more of these “illegalities” around the country.
“Foreigners are surely welcomed, but only those complying with the laws,” notes Wang Lin, a resident of Beijing.
Legislative improvement
The crackdown has raised concerns internationally. some Western media outlets have interpreted the campaign as anti-foreigner.
But Yu Youbin, Deputy Dean at Beijing Institute of Technology’s school of Humanities and social sciences, has a different perspective on the campaign’s implications.
In Yu’s view, immigration problems inevitably emerge during a country’s development process. The government has to examine its administration to ensure that stability and order are maintained while society continues to grow.
“Due to increasing pressures in cities, the cities require more strict regulations in all areas,” Yu explains.
According to official statistics, more than 52 million foreigners entered and left China in 2010, a doubling of numbers from 10 years ago.
A freshman in the class of superpower nations, China seems to have been caught unprepared for this population flood in such a short span of time. Unlike the fast immigration boom, the related legislation seems to lag behind.
The Law on the Entry and Exit of Aliens currently followed in China was enacted in the 1980s. At that time, it was difficult to find foreign faces on Beijing’s streets. But due to economic growth and globalization, the flow of foreigners through China’s borders has increased. The government is trying to adapt to the changing situation.
According to Xiang Dang, a professor at Chinese People’s Public security University, a new draft law on entry and exit administration of both Chinese citizens and foreigners has been introduced at China’s National People’s Congress for second review. If passed, this law would be the first major overhaul of the country’s immigration laws since 1985.
The draft law aims to clarify the administration of the entry and exit of Chinese citizens and foreigners, foreigners’ temporary and long-term residency in China, and border control.
Under the draft law, police will have more power and the option to directly handle illegal entrants and related cases.
The new law would also provide updated foreign employment regulations. The Chinese Government still plans to provide favorable working and research conditions for foreigners who respect the country’s laws and traditions, Xiang says.
An open society
since China first began opening up with economic reforms in the late 1970s, its citizens have been learning how to embrace foreigners.
The Chinese try to approach newcomers with friendliness. This stems from a tradition of sensitivity about “diplomatic issues” and polite respect. While cautious, they tend to give in during conflicts or grant special privileges to foreigners. When the Chinese woman who reported Russian cellist’s rudeness to the train chief, the answer she got was a persuasion for tolerance.
“Once foreigners are involved in, the Chinese will take it very seriously and want to address it peacefully,” explains Yu. “It lies in Chinese culture that guests should be treated well and hosts always be polite.”
But as more and more of these guests become neighbors, Chinese citizens are starting to hold a more detached view of this tendency. In policymaking or interpersonal contact, the favored etiquette is being replaced by a more-or-less egalitarian approach.
“No worship or contempt,” says Yu. “Now the Chinese are craving for knowledge about the rest of the world, expecting foreigners to bring new cultures that will enrich their lives.” Making immigrants aware of laws and regulations is the first step, according to Yu. In the future, China will need to help these new residents to integrate into Chinese society by improving its social welfare policies.
These issues also raise concerns when it comes to Chinese emigration. On May 22, nearly 100 Chinese citizens were detained and arrested in Nigeria, accused of illegal trading and living. Many saw it as a reaction to the crackdown in Beijing.
Li songshan, a scholar from the Center for African studies of Peking University, believes both the Chinese and Nigerian governments have the right to apply independent policies in order to protect their emigrants.
“Chinese enterprises investing in Africa should be in compliance with the law,” says Li. While incidents on both sides reveal problems, adds Li, they also offer an opportunity to solve and further promote China-Africa relations.
“Illegal immigration issues happen everywhere in the world,”says Luc Bendza, a Gabonese who arrived in China decades ago. He believes that people, no matter whether they are Chinese or foreign, should not make a fuss about the crackdown.
“When you decide to immigrate to a different country, one should avoid bringing his old habits, especially those that are bad,” he says. “One should try to embrace the social conventions and culture to integrate into the society.”
The crackdown will run until August and will mainly focus on foreigners who have entered the country illegally. Also targeted are foreigners lacking correct resident permits and illegal workers. Chinese officials call these violations the “three illegalities.”
some feel the campaign is a sign, indicating that China’s attitude toward foreigners has shifted since 2008. The Olympics theme song Beijing Welcomes You has faded from the streets in the last four years. Is China’s gate still open wide to the outside world?
An emerging problem
Although officials deny the connection, many people believe the crackdown was triggered by two recent incidents of inappropriate behavior by foreigners in China.
Earlier in May, a video showing a British man sexually assaulting a Chinese girl went viral on the Internet, garnering more than a million hits. The perpetrator, it was later discovered, held a tourist visa.
Fuel was added to the fire following an incident involving a Russian cellist. The musician was caught on camera verbally abusing a female passenger while traveling by train.
The two videos incurred public wrath online immediately. In a survey on sina Weibo, the popular Chinese microblogging service, around 94 percent of respondents voted that foreigners entering China should be scrutinized. Details up for inspection, they felt, should include information such as sufficient cash funds, property and job status.
“Not all foreigners in China should be treated as friends,”wrote one netizen called Lizi in a comment. “Many are loafers in their country and seek opportunities to do bad things in China.”
Data shows that a fast growing economy is turning China into a new destination for the “three illegalities.” Last year, authorities handled over 20,000 cases of foreigners committing one or more of these “illegalities” around the country.
“Foreigners are surely welcomed, but only those complying with the laws,” notes Wang Lin, a resident of Beijing.
Legislative improvement
The crackdown has raised concerns internationally. some Western media outlets have interpreted the campaign as anti-foreigner.
But Yu Youbin, Deputy Dean at Beijing Institute of Technology’s school of Humanities and social sciences, has a different perspective on the campaign’s implications.
In Yu’s view, immigration problems inevitably emerge during a country’s development process. The government has to examine its administration to ensure that stability and order are maintained while society continues to grow.
“Due to increasing pressures in cities, the cities require more strict regulations in all areas,” Yu explains.
According to official statistics, more than 52 million foreigners entered and left China in 2010, a doubling of numbers from 10 years ago.
A freshman in the class of superpower nations, China seems to have been caught unprepared for this population flood in such a short span of time. Unlike the fast immigration boom, the related legislation seems to lag behind.
The Law on the Entry and Exit of Aliens currently followed in China was enacted in the 1980s. At that time, it was difficult to find foreign faces on Beijing’s streets. But due to economic growth and globalization, the flow of foreigners through China’s borders has increased. The government is trying to adapt to the changing situation.
According to Xiang Dang, a professor at Chinese People’s Public security University, a new draft law on entry and exit administration of both Chinese citizens and foreigners has been introduced at China’s National People’s Congress for second review. If passed, this law would be the first major overhaul of the country’s immigration laws since 1985.
The draft law aims to clarify the administration of the entry and exit of Chinese citizens and foreigners, foreigners’ temporary and long-term residency in China, and border control.
Under the draft law, police will have more power and the option to directly handle illegal entrants and related cases.
The new law would also provide updated foreign employment regulations. The Chinese Government still plans to provide favorable working and research conditions for foreigners who respect the country’s laws and traditions, Xiang says.
An open society
since China first began opening up with economic reforms in the late 1970s, its citizens have been learning how to embrace foreigners.
The Chinese try to approach newcomers with friendliness. This stems from a tradition of sensitivity about “diplomatic issues” and polite respect. While cautious, they tend to give in during conflicts or grant special privileges to foreigners. When the Chinese woman who reported Russian cellist’s rudeness to the train chief, the answer she got was a persuasion for tolerance.
“Once foreigners are involved in, the Chinese will take it very seriously and want to address it peacefully,” explains Yu. “It lies in Chinese culture that guests should be treated well and hosts always be polite.”
But as more and more of these guests become neighbors, Chinese citizens are starting to hold a more detached view of this tendency. In policymaking or interpersonal contact, the favored etiquette is being replaced by a more-or-less egalitarian approach.
“No worship or contempt,” says Yu. “Now the Chinese are craving for knowledge about the rest of the world, expecting foreigners to bring new cultures that will enrich their lives.” Making immigrants aware of laws and regulations is the first step, according to Yu. In the future, China will need to help these new residents to integrate into Chinese society by improving its social welfare policies.
These issues also raise concerns when it comes to Chinese emigration. On May 22, nearly 100 Chinese citizens were detained and arrested in Nigeria, accused of illegal trading and living. Many saw it as a reaction to the crackdown in Beijing.
Li songshan, a scholar from the Center for African studies of Peking University, believes both the Chinese and Nigerian governments have the right to apply independent policies in order to protect their emigrants.
“Chinese enterprises investing in Africa should be in compliance with the law,” says Li. While incidents on both sides reveal problems, adds Li, they also offer an opportunity to solve and further promote China-Africa relations.
“Illegal immigration issues happen everywhere in the world,”says Luc Bendza, a Gabonese who arrived in China decades ago. He believes that people, no matter whether they are Chinese or foreign, should not make a fuss about the crackdown.
“When you decide to immigrate to a different country, one should avoid bringing his old habits, especially those that are bad,” he says. “One should try to embrace the social conventions and culture to integrate into the society.”