Ebb instead of Surge
Chinese Migrants in Russia’s Far East
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
Fear of the “yellow peril” reigned in Russia for a long time. Fear of Sinicisation was wide spread, especially in the border areas along the Amur River in the 1990s. The alarmism is not supported by the facts. The number of Chinese migrants is much lower than is claimed; many come as merchants and cannot settle in Russia permanently. At present, Moscow decrees a rhetoric of friendship among peoples. Given the asymmetry in the border area between dynamic demographic and economic growth in China and stagnation in Russia, the old fears could be stoked again at any time.
(Osteuropa 3/2012, pp. 21–40)