International relations and transnational migration: the case of China

Abstract

By examining how China became part of the modern world system historically and how it perceives migration in relation to its diplomacy strategy, this paper seeks to shed light on the relationship between transantional migration (supposedly not directly subject to national regulations) and international relations (still based on the national sovereignty). The paper suggests that the current international regime can no longer direct transnationalmigration flows, but remains critical in affecting migration in its patterns and its implications for social and economic development. China evidently does not want migration to complicate its international relations, and migrant receiving countries shouldbe cautious in using leverage of international relations when seeking China���s cooperation for migration. The interplay between international relations and transnational migration deserves more research.

Keywords

• China
• migration
• international relations
• migration flows