1.
Existing situation
Vladivostok is a center of Far Eastern region of the Russia named Primorsky
region. Total population of this region now estimates in 2 million, among them
600 thousands lives in Vladivostok. It is the biggest city of Russia Far East
and center of industrial, social and political life of Russia on Pacific shore.
The main factor of Vladivostok as well as all Russian Far East regions
is tremendous depopulation beginning during last 15 years. During this
time population of
all Russian Far East declined by 1 million and Vladivostok and its region
by 400 thousands. This was the result of both migration and natural population
decline. Migration outflow was the main factor of the decreasing population.
On the third Pacific Forum of Compatriots held in Vladivostok on October
2003 was announced that more than 60 per cent of young people consider leaving
Primorye in the future, which would drain the region of its workforce.
If the current situation persists, by 2010 the Primorye region will reach
a critical level where ageing people make up over 20 percent of the
population.
The problem of surviving of the local population in Vladivostok and
its region is very urgent nowadays. Let us observe the changes in the
ethnic
region mixture
and analyze them according the data of the Committee for State Statistics
of the Primorsky Region and report of doctor Vashchuk.
According to the census of 1989 there were 1976.6 thousand people on
the whole living in the Primorsky Region; 1721.6 thousand of them
were Russians,
185
thousand - Ukrainians, 21.9 thousand - Belorussians, 4.1 thousand
- Germans.
Those were the most numerous nationalities. But till 1998 their size
diminished as the result of migration: the number of Russians diminished
by 27.6 thousand
people, Ukrainians - by 10.1 thousand, Byelorussians - by 2.7 thousand,
Germans - by 0.8 thousand people. On the other hand, the ethnic
variety increased,
because of immigration. The arriving migrants replenished the population
size.
The refugees from the former Soviet Republics (Middle Asia, Kazakhstan,
Moldova, the former Caucasian and Baltic Republics) began arriving
in the Primorsky
Region in 1992. The majority of them immigrated in 1994 (some
1100 people). By 1999 about 4258 refugees had settled in the region,
while 27 per cent
of the number came from Tajikistan.
In 1996 the migration scale changed greatly. The migrants arrived
mostly from the peaceful regions of the former USSR. The majority
of them
came from Kazakhstan
(71 per cent), while the number of Koreans diminished from
1339 in 1995 to 52 in 1997. As a rule, Korean immigrants settle in
the South
of the
region
- in Vladivostok - just like during the Soviet period, that
is why the Korean Diaspora is the most numerous there (more than
15 thousand
people).
Still another kind of migrants in Vladivostok and its region
exists. There is a settled limit for foreign workers constituting
15 thousand
workers
per year. Of them 77 per cent come from China, 27 per cent
- from Korea and only
6.5 - from the former USSR.
In Vladivostok and region there are more than 50 national
communities, 30 confessions and more than 150 religious
organizations.
The main reason of population outflow is economic stagnation
of region causes unstable situation in Russia during
last decade. Now economic
situation changed
to better. But Vladivostok and in its region a severe
shortage of local workers in the agricultural, construction, and
sewing industries
explains
the necessity
of attracting labor force.
Meanwhile not far from Vladivostok only in 100 kilometers
from the center of the city
across the Chinese border lives more the 100 million
unemployment Chinese who can suggest themselves on
Vladivostok labor
market.
Best informed researcher from Moscow State University
doctor Vilya Gelbras consider that since the Soviet
Union and
China signed the
agreement on
visa-free cross-border travel in 1988, the Russian
Far East had to deal with the huge
migration flow of the Peoples Republic of China
migrants coming into the region as migrant workers, traders,
business people,
tourists, poachers, and black
marketers. Scarcity of publicly available official
information on this
issue has been accompanied by alarmist speculations
in the media on the scale of
Chinese migration.
Minister of Interior of Russia claimed that up to
150,000 illegal immigrants were settling in Primorye,
as part
of 400,000 to
2 million PRC migrants
that infiltrated the Russian Far East.
Their numbers have been growing so rapidly, in
fact, that the head of the Federal Migration
Service warned
that Chinese
could
become
the dominant
population
in much of the Russian Far East later in this
century.
Chinese citizens can cross Russian border without
visas using only tourists vouchers.
In such circumstances they enter to Vladivostok
for short term, long term or permanent duration
and work
as a foreign
labor
force.
In fact not only Chinese citizens come to Vladivostok
as migrants.
Vladivostok Migration Service statistics
presents North Koreans, Vietnamese, Middle
Easts and
Caucuses migrants
as second
large migration stream
to the region.
At the beginning of 2004 Federal Migration
Service registred in Vladivostok and
in its region 154161
legal migrants.
At the same
time it was
estimated nearly 120000 illegal and short
term migrants according the poll of
Vladivostok organization Physicians
for human rights.
Altogether at the beginning of 2004 more
than 275 thousand foreigners lived
in Vladivostok and region.
Figure 1.
Number of migrants officially registered for temporary or permanent residence
in Vladivostok and its region.
According Vladivostok Federal Migration Service report
Illegal and irregular migrants were estimated during
special polls conducted by Vladivostok organization Physicians for human
rights. Managers of Chinese, Koreans, Caucuses and Middle East companies
are polling every year in order to estimate real social needs of migrants.
2. The issues.
Number of Chinese who could receive Russian passport began increasing. In
2002 in Vladivostok 1264 Chinese received Russian citizenship and in 2003 they
received 1323 Russian passports.
Number of migrants seeking Russian or other countries citizenship has increased
dramatically during last three year. This is a brand new phenomenon.
The main factor of huge Chinese migration to Vladivostok according doctor
Gelbras is the social-psychological perception of PRC in the Russian society.
Fear
of the so-called Chinese yellow peril, which emerged in the end of the
19th century through the beginning of the 20th century, has proved to be
amazingly
lasting. As the Chinese economy grew, this fear again became a reality
of the social consciousness.
The Russian condescending imperial views of China and the Chinese changed
to contemptuously complacent attitudes toward the great power of China
and the
Chinese. Russian mass media raise two problems regarding the social-economic
role of Chinese migration. Both of them are viewed through the prism
of a new social-psychological situation in the country.
First, China is often mentioned when the question of potential labor
deficits, caused by low birthrates and emigration of local people from
the Russian
Far East, are raised. Second, many politicians and experts believe
that Chinese migrants cause severe damage to the Russian economy by carrying
out illegal
operations, such as the export of currency and gray-black schemes in
acquiring lumber, rare natural and industrial raw materials, poaching,
import of
drugs, etc. At the same time the Chinese migrants positive influences
on the Russian
economy are rarely mentioned.
In order to understand Chinese migration in Russia, the following points
need to be noted. The vast majority of Chinese migrants are a part
of an organized
structure, a functional element of the flow of goods from China.
During the 1990s, Chinese migration was formed by individuals who were
setting
out to
Russia in search of income at their own risk. In the late 1990s the
situation changed. Therefore, doctor Gelbras and other experts define
Chinese who
permanently live and conduct business in Russia or periodically or
routinely visit the
country for business purposes as migrants.
As a natural part of the Chinese trade structure, Chinese migrants
cannot disrupt their connections with China. The disruption or
break-up may
leave them without
a source of income. Moreover, receiving Russian citizenship has
been quite complicated before but it became even more difficult after
the Russian
government adopted a new law on citizenship.
That is why Chinese migrants who have lived in Russia for five
or even ten years still have to retain their Chinese citizenship
using
different
legal
loopholes in order to stay in Russia. It is also important for
them to retain the Chinese citizenship in order to protect their
rights
and dignity.
For
this reason, until recently only a few Chinese sought Russian
citizenship.
Furthermore, the number of Chinese migrants who intend to settle
in Russia permanently if they are guaranteed stable legal rights
for living
and
working in the country. There is little doubt that their numbers
will continue
to grow rapidly if the Russian attitudes towards Chinese migrants
change, if
police
and bureaucrats will stop extorting money and nationalists
will stop their discriminatory campaigns.
Another issue is a labor deficit in Vladivostok.
Vladivostok and its region is the major employer of foreign
citizens. For several years Administration of region signed
contracts and
agreements aimed at attracting
temporary foreign labor. However, the scale of this practice
has not yet
increased. The number of foreign workers in the region
was approximately the same in the
period of 1994-2004. For example, in 2000, foreigners received
work permission in Vladivostok was 11624 included 7,708
PRC citizens (65.8%);
1,469 DPRK
citizens (12.5%); 940 Vietnamese citizens (8.0%); and 338
citizens of the Republic of
Korea (2.9%). During the same period, 1,169 workers (10%)
from the CIS countries were employed.
In the beginning of 2004 total number of foreign workers
was nearly the same - 10611 workers with same percentage
of nationalities.
3. Transnational migration and national polices
The size of economically active population in the region exceeds one million
people, it is clear that currently the share of foreign workers is very small.
And we can conclude that the contribution of foreign labor force in the regions
economy was and remains insignificant. The situation with foreign citizens
working in different industrial projects in Russia is rather complex. A part
of the Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese workers who entered Russia in accordance
with contractual obligations for different types of work in reality is not
engaged in the designated lines of work.
Often their bosses force them to conduct independent business, support
themselves, and simultaneously make regular financial contributions to
the enterprise,
which enables them to earn income in Russia. Illegal activities, which
take place in the personnel practices of foreign companies, can be prevented
with
the help of appropriate control mechanisms.
However, what is important is that the well-intended proposals of many
Russian specialists to solve the problem of Russias labor shortage by
attracting Chinese,
Korean, and Vietnamese workers are extremely difficult to realize. In
order to make it work, Russia should establish a proper form of incorporation,
develop legal regulations, and ensure effective protection of foreign
workers
rights.
In principle, signing contracts and agreements that provide for the importation
of foreign labor for certain volume of work in the country is a widespread
phenomenon. Its role in Russia is most likely to increase due to the
growing labor shortage in the country. Up to now, however, foreign
workers are
offered positions which do not attract the local population.
Until recently Russia has almost never attracted foreign experts specializing
in the fields which are in short supply of Russian specialists. The
country will most certainly need to acquire this kind of experience available
in international business practices.
Now there is no chance for Chinese migrants who settle in Russia will
be engaged in Russian domestic production, thus helping to overcome
the shortage
of work
force. The majority of this particular contingent of foreign workers
does not speak Russian and lack necessary professional qualifications.
As an
element
of the Chinese trading system, Chinese migrants are oriented toward
generating fast and large profits; therefore, most of them prefer to
be involved
in trade and restaurant business.
One possible solution to the labor shortage problem is to attract more
foreigners, especially Chinese, Koreans, and Vietnamese, to Russian
educational institutions.
Before we analyze the social-economic impact of Chinese migration
in Russia, we need to consider first of all its positive aspects,
which
are rarely
discussed in Russia.
Positive and Negative Aspects of Chinese Migration in Vladivostok
According Victor Larin and Vilya Gelbras
Positive aspect 1.
Supplying the Russian market with consumer goods and food. Local population
and authorities should be grateful to Chinese and Russian shuttle traders
who supplied them with food and clothes in the hungry early 1990s. In the
following years their role slightly decreased, however even now, in 2004,
it is still significant not only in Vladivostok, but also in the European
part of Russia.
Negative aspect 1.
Inhibition of Russian producers. For example, in the Far East rice, soy and
other domestic agriculture products cultivation has been practically liquidated.
Positive aspect 2
Labor market competition, occupying vacant positions in construction, agriculture,
and service sectors. On the contrary, Chinese migrants do not create labor
market competition. Rather, the higher the share of foreign labor force,
the lower the unemployment rate.
Negative aspect 2
Destroying of domestic trade system :from industry to buyer.
Many Russian shuttle traders became a part of the Chinese system of goods
marketing.
Hundreds of thousands of Russians now buy Chinese goods in China or Chinese
wholesale
markets in Russia and sell them in the remote areas of Russia.
Positive aspect 3
Price competition and dampening of domestic goods prices. Chinese migration
created
competition in consumer goods markets. The appearance of Chinese goods on Russian
markets caused an increase in Russian production volumes and a decrease in
the prices of domestic goods.
Negative aspect 3
Chinese goods, due to competition with developed countries products, are categorized
as cheap and shoddy. However, this did not boost Russias domestic production.
Positive aspect 4
Investments in real estate. The fact that Chinese buy real estate and lease
land in Russia is always evaluated on the emotional level and presented as
something negative.
However, property and assets, generating revenue, stay in the country. The
scale of Chinese investments in Russian property is still small but increased
from 2002 twice.
Negative aspect 4
Until recently, Chinese migrants in Russia did not make investments. They handled
their
income according to the following two models. The first model is saving money
in order to leave the Far East for the European part of Russia, then abroad.
This is a dream cherished by many Chinese migrants. The second model is the
export of goods and US dollars from Russia to China. For these purposes underground
banks and gray and black schemes have been established in order to acquire
natural and industrial resources in Russia, to smuggle them to China and to
sell them.
Positive aspect 5
Tax levies imposed on market traders and businessmen and customs duties go
to the federal and local coffers.
Negative aspect 5
Though Russian authorities complain that Chinese businessmen evade taxation,
it was they who created lots of loopholes that allow Russian, Chinese and
other citizens to minimize taxes, levies and fees.
Positive aspect 6
Development of tourism and appropriate services sectors.
Negative aspect 6
The Chinese tourism business is structured in such a way that travel agencies
and Chinese
communities in Russian cities generate maximum profits, whereas Russia receives
minimal fees, levies and profits. This created favorable conditions for opening
Chinese restaurants, casinos, bordellos etc; developing flying money schemes
that facilitate the transfer of cash (Russian and US currency) to China.
Positive aspect 7
The higher level of individual welfare of some officials, customs inspectors,
policemen, etc
who work with Chinese.
Negative aspect 7
Various Russian firms, such as transportation, law, security and other firms
are now dependent on working with Chinese migrants. The size of Russians
working thus is expanding.
1. Urban polices for transnational migration
Chinese people have a great wish to work in Russia, particularly in the Far
East. They try to achieve this goal by means of every legal and illegal ways.
For example, a lot of groups of Chinese left for Russia as tourists, but then
stayed to work at a Russian timber company.
Fake Chinese tourists store up tons of caviar and other sea food, they smuggle
tree-frogs to China (a tree-frog is a very expensive delicacy there). It seems
that the process is not going to stop.
Russia and China have serious problems regarding the issue of the Chinese labor
force expansion in Russian regions. Up to 350 thousand Chinese people cross
borders to the Vladivostok region every year on an illegal basis.
About 45 thousand illegal Chinese citizens live in region in total. An enterprise
in Russia is supposed to pay the tax of about $100 for every foreign worker.
Of course, Russian businessmen try to use visa-free tourism in order to gain
as much profit as possible with the help of the cheap Chinese labor. So do
Chinese workers. Russians often leave eastern territories and move over to
the center, while Chinese people take their places.
Russian authorities try to decide many social problems caused by increasing
migration to Vladivostok. For example in 2003 Primorye Governor Sergei Darkin
recommended that municipal authorities ensure safe living conditions for foreign
laborers, and that medical supervision over them be arranged for the first
five days after their arrival, with regular medical checks to be held afterward.
Russian economic experts come to conclusion that China will become Russias
major economic partner in the 21st century. Russians wear clothes that are
made in China, they have Chinese TV sets and fridges; they go to eat to Chinese
restaurants, and so on and so forth. "Made in China" label can
be seen everywhere in Russia. Russians do not really care that all those
things
are low-quality goods. A cheap price is far more important.
However, the statistics of the economic development in the Far East region
of Russia shows that the economic cooperation between Russia and China is beneficial
only to China.
The trade cooperation, joint ventures activities help regional Russian authorities
to solve certain social and economic problems, although those activities are
aimed at taking the Russian market over, pumping raw materials and money out
of it. Chinese businessmen smuggle ferrous an non-ferrous metals, as well as
titan-alloys that are used in the defense industry. Chinese companies buy those
goods at very cheap prices and then resell them in China. Certain Chinese commercial
companies evince greater interest in catching rare animals and expensive fish.
Border territories of China develop alcohol businesses, producing high quality
beer and vodka sometimes. The underground vodka production is organized very
well as well. Cheap low quality vodka is delivered to Russia secretly in passenger
trains, buses and vans. Some firms deal with exporting Russian girls to China
too. Such firms act as legal, official organizations. They offer Russian girls
official jobs in China, arrange all necessary documents. There is nothing to
pick such firms up, taking into consideration the fact that no girl filed a
complaint or anything. This means that women were aware of what they would
have to do in China.
Russian authorities struggle with Chinese migrants, who stay in the Far East
of Russia on an illegal basis. However, this struggle leaves much to be desired.
Inefficient sanctions and imperfect laws pose a serious obstacle in this respect.
Chinese can move on the Russian territory almost without any difficulties.
Far Eastern law-enforcement bodies every year registered more than 25 thousand
foreigners (including North Koreans and residents of former Soviet republics),
documented over 43 thousand administrative violations, and 40 percent of those
crimes were committed by Chinese migrants. More than 6000 Chinese were ousted
from Russia; almost 1200 of them were called into criminal account.
There are 87 checkpoints in the Far East of Russia. This is a half of what
is supposed to be in such a large region. Moreover, they experience absurd
problems, which impede them from efficient working. For example, there is a
strong lack of immigration blanks, necessary equipment, experienced personnel,
and so on.
According Russell Working who is a freelance reporter of The New York Times
lived in Vladivostok a recent study of crimes among foreigners has found that
crime has increase every year.
But police are arresting foreigners involved in activities ranging from poaching
frogs to extortion and murder. A large percentage of such crimes occur in Vladivostoks
Chinese Market, which is like a small Chinatown with its own hotels, restaurants,
and pool bars.
Police say criminal activity by foreigners includes both the sort of deals
commonplace in Russia's gray market economy, such as illegal harvest of timber,
and the occasional violent crime. Police recovered only a tiny portion of the
money because the criminals had transferred the cash back to China.
Alexander Torenko, deputy chief of the Primorye Police's Department for the
Solution of Foreigner-Related Crimes confirmed that the heads of Chinese organized
crime in Vladivostok gain on lots of cash.
Vladivostok organization Physicians for Human Rights poll estimates that
Chinese crime leaders every year received nearly 1 billion dollars from Vladivostok
and its region.
Chinese dominate the picture of murders, robberies, and thefts committed by
or against foreigners, with 80 percent of such cases. North Koreans come second
with 16 percent and the Vietnamese account for 4 percent.
Primorye police have a cooperation agreement with police in China's Tsilin
and Heilungkiang provinces across the border of Vladivostok region.
Migrants have been the victims of crime by Russians as well. In 2000 only one
foreigner was killed in Vladivostok and its region in compare with 36 in 2003.
In the first half of 2004 it has became already 48 murdered migrants in this
area.
Other crimes typical of Chinese criminals in Primorye are illegal migration,
drug dealing, smuggling goods ranging from food to timber, and poaching.
The worst poaching hits Primorye's ginseng and frogs, which the Chinese use
for medicinal purposes. Frogs have completely disappeared from environs of
Vladivostok in recent years. This led to the disappearance of snakes in this
area. The pending extinction of frogs is "a very serious ecological
problem.
North Korean crime occupies a different niche in Vladivostok region. While
police suspect that many North Koreans deal in opium, few cases have been reported.
Officially police reported two North Korean drug cases. Few years ago police
arrested a North Korean who had a large amount of opium. He then committed
suicide in his cell.
The opium was industrially processed. This suggests that North Korea smuggles
the drug into Primorye as part of a state program to fill the budget confirmed
deputy chief of the Primorye Police's Department for the Solution of Foreigner-Related
Crimes Alexander Torenko.
In 1998, one North Korean was slain, three were attacked, and one received
a death threat in Primorye. Also, the son of a North Korean diplomat was brutally
beaten with a steel rod at his school in Vladivostok.
The Vietnamese play a low-key role because there are just near thousand of
them in the region. Brought in for long-term construction contracts, they remained
without work amidst Russian economic woes. Now they trade and change money
at Vladivostok's black money exchange market and some other markets around
town.
The purpose of migrants business in Vladivostok is forest. Only in Vladivostok
region the volume of an illegal forest trade is almost 300 millions of U.S.
dollars annually. More than half of the timber in Primorye has been already
logged and almost 80 per cent is exported illegally. It results in dire socio-economic
consequences including decrease of ripe forest areas and people migration.
Russian police and migration service make an aggressive effort to stop Chinese
visitors from illegally staying on as construction workers, restaurateurs,
roadside shoe repairmen, and traders in the open markets.
Chinese illegal aliens have been entering Russia for nearly a decade, since
the border opened to tourists after the fall of the Soviet Union. In the middle
of 90 th 90 percent of the Chinese who came in tour groups disappeared, according
Federal Migration Service reports. Most of them went to trade on the markets
and did not return home. Some migrated to other parts of Russia or even tried
to go to third countries via Russia mostly in Europe.
For thousands of years, parts of what are now the Russian Far East were the
home of aboriginal peoples and Chinese traders, explorers, and settlers.
References to (Chinese) Amur natives can be found in Chinese chronicles
from 770-256 B.C.,
and Han dynasty historians mention "fishskin" tribes (Nanai) and "hairy
people" (possibly Ainu).
Vladivostok's bay was once known by a Chinese name, Haishenwei, named by
the sailors who harvested trepang (sea cucumber) here. But as Russia made
its eastward
push to the Pacific in the 16th through 19th centuries, Cossack regiments
claimed the land in the name of the tsar (Vladivostok itself means "possess the
east"). Nowadays, Russian Far Easternerswho are otherwise quite admiring
of foreigners, including Asiansare often openly hostile toward Chinese.
Russians have fairly recent reasons for their suspicions about Chinese intentions.
Mao Zedong declared in 1964 that Russia had "taken too much land," citing
the Primorye region, where Vladivostok is located, as one example. After border
clashes in 1969 along the Ussuri River that separates China from Russia, Beijing
declared Primorye and the land along the Amur River to be "historically
Chinese." By 1981, some Chinese historians were claiming the Arctic
Ocean was their nation's northern frontier in the 13th century. In reply,
Soviet
officials renamed Chinese towns, rivers, and mountains in the region, so
that, for example, the coal-mining town of Suchan near Vladivostok became
Partizansk.
In fairness, the Chinese themselves have historic fears of Russia. The Soviet
army occupied neighboring Mongolia until the beginning of the 1990s. And before
the Russian Revolution, the tsar's troops made incursions into Manchuria and,
following the lead of Great Britain in Hong Kong and Portugal in Macao, made
a Russian base at Port Arthur (Dalian).
Russian officials now fear that without vigilance, the Chinese could take
over someday. "If we don't control the migration process, then eventually we'll
have to live under Chinese rule, rather than them following our rules," ex-head
of Vladivostok Migration Service Yurman says.
5. Lessons learnt and recommendation
Migration in Vladivostok is a complex phenomenon and cannot be evaluated unambiguously.
In Russia, this phenomenon is rather unique and differs from migration processes
in other countries.
Chinese migrants dominate in migration inflow in Vladivostok and region therefore
we consider them as a main migration society in region.
First of all, most Chinese migrants are a part of a Chinese trading structure.
Second, these are not individuals who firmly intend to tie their new destiny
in their new country with the goal to respect its traditions, rules, and
norms. It is likely that Chinese migration in Russia is in a critical stage
of development.
Chinese governments aspirations to subordinate Chinese migrants and communities
to the realization of this strategy could cause dramatic changes in both
the growth of immigration and the level of activity of Chinese communities
in Russia.
Chinese communities in Russia have built a fundamental foundation for Chinese
foreign economic expansion. Consequently, Russia has found itself in
the position where it has to immediately work out its own strategy of social-economic
development
in Far East and in Vladivostok in particular.
Victor Fersht
May, 2004
See also Transition
states and transnational migration
Personal
page of Victor Fersht