The purpose of this study is to explore China's government policy towards her ethnic Chinese in foreign countries, Overseas Chinese, broadly called as huaqiao, has more than 35 millions and are scattered around the world, including the main concentrat...
The purpose of this study is to explore China's government policy towards her ethnic Chinese in foreign countries, Overseas Chinese, broadly called as huaqiao, has more than 35 millions and are scattered around the world, including the main concentration in Southeast Asia. In a more globalized world, the power of the overseas Chinese, particularly in economic field, is currently very strong and becomes stronger in near future, Moreover, huaqiao themselves are more closely related and is making a global network with the mainland China, As a truly geographical neighbor as well as a more valuable economic partner, China is an important country for Korea. However, previous studies on the huaqiao in Korea is very limited. Therefore, this study is a trial to understand Chinese government stance on the huaqiao.<br/>
Chinese government policy towards the overseas Chinese after 1978 can be divided into four parts according to the periods. However, throughout the modern Chinese history, even from the late Qing dynasty, governments of China showed a deep concern on them and tried to institutionalize their tights in domestic as well as foreign affairs. Communist China is no exception. Before the Open Door Policy in 1978, the policy was heavily influenced by the political campaigns in each period. In theory as well as in official institution, there was a policy of protection to the huaqiao in homeland. In fact, however, they were excluded from their tights, particularly in the Cultural revolution. Under the banner of reform, the first task of Deng Xiaoping regarding to huaqiao was to restore the affairs of huaqiao. China desperately needed foreign investment in the reform period, and the money from the overseas Chinese was the main source. Therefore, Chinese government including local governments tried to build up special policy towards the huaqiao of their origin. Soon, the central government started to institutionalize their laws and regulation related to huaqiao in 1990s. And at the end of the 1990s, a new policy was emerged; network making between China and huaqiao.<br/>
The changes of the policy by the Chinese government are responded to the growing power of China in economy as well as in international politics. Therefore, Chinese government changed her attitude from a virtual exclusion before the reform period, through exploitation in the early period of reform to induce investment, and finally to make a parallel relationship with huaqiao. This is the global networking of huaqiao which will make a positive effect to both huaqiao and China. However, in a more globalized world, a growing sense of ethnic nationalism within the blood-shared Han Chinese would create lots of problems in domestic and foreign affairs. How to solve these will affect on the future of China as well as huaqiao. Also, it will affect the fate of Korea which is seriously interdependent with Chinese economy.