Global General

Special

Newsmaker

Asia Pacific

America

Middle East

Europe

Africa

Fighting a backlash: Chinese businesses abroad

By Qi Xiao (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2009-08-13 18:38

More than 60,000 Chinese did business as shop keepers and importers in Moscow's Cherkizovsky market. It was, the Chinese Chamber of Commerce in Moscow said, the largest Chinese community in Russia. So when Russian authorities closed the market in late June, citing smuggling concerns, it raised questions about whether the shutdown was a justified response to real violations of the law, or simply a targeted operation to remove legal Chinese competition.

Since its establishment in the 1990s, the Cherkizovsky market has a major source of cheap imports in Russia. 98 percent of them are from China, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

As a result, some have questioned whether its closing was prompted by rising anti-Chinese sentiment rather than real violations of the law. For instance, a July 16 report by the Associated Press noted that the closure of the market "comes amid rising hostility toward dark-skinned migrants" among Russians, as the ongoing economic meltdown put millions there out of work.

But Dmitri Trenin, director of the Carnegie Moscow Center, said xenophobia has been on the rise in Russia for some time, and that the closure was not directed at Chinese specifically. "The Cherkizovsky decision has been taken without much thought of the China factor," he said.

"The closing of Cherkizovsky market in Moscow had everything to do with internal Russian dynamics - both national and local (Moscow). The China connection was discovered only belatedly, and to some surprise by those who had made the decision."

Related full coverage:  Chinese Businessmen Abroad Related readings:  Chinese merchants released in Russia  China, Russia reach consensus on closure of market  Delegation gives hope to Chinese traders in Russia

Xu Wenhong, a researcher with the Institute of Russian, East European and Central Asian Studies of Chinese Academy of Social Science said: "The immediate cause of the Cherkizovsky shutdown is clearly a result of the interplay of Russia's internal politics between oligarchs and politicians."

"It seems that the consideration of Chinese competition weighs not too much on it (the closure).”

But the lack of adaption and integration to Russian society and culture among Chinese businessmen is a cause for concern, Xu said.

"I have been to the market myself and met with many of the Chinese businesspeople there. They are working very hard, but most of them cannot speak Russian. Besides, their law awareness is not quite up to the standard," said Xu. He suggests the Chinese government do more to help them blend into the local society.

There are similar concerns in Russia.

"I would suggest that the Culture Ministry become involved to raise migrants' ability to adapt to Russian society," instead of forcing them out of work by closing the market, Valery Zubov, a Russian State Duma deputy, wrote in an Aug 3 op-ed at the Moscow Times.

But problems of integration overseas are not limited to Russia – a fact highlighted by a recent street brawl in Algeria between Chinese immigrants and local Algerians.

   Previous page 1 2 Next Page  

   Previous page 1 2 Next Page