The social dimensions of migration and health in China

    Research output: Chapter in Book / Conference PaperChapter

    Abstract

    The People's Republic of China (hereafter, China) has emerged as a dominant regional power with global influence, but such dominance can be traced back to 1949 with the arrival of the Chinese Communist Party under Mao Zedong (Mark, 2013). Since then, the Chinese economy has experienced a rapid transformation. Data from the International Monetary Fund suggest that China's annual economic growth has averaged 9.8% since 1980, making it the world's fastest-growing economy (International Monetary Fund, 2013). The United States (US) Department of State's chronology of the US-China relations from 1784 to 2000 suggests that after Mao Zedong successfully drove the Nationalists from the mainland, China formed an alliance with the Soviet Union (United States Department of State, 2014). This alliance was shaky throughout the 1950s and 1960s and the tension between China and the Soviet Union peaked in 1969 due to a long-standing dispute over the eastern border between the two countries, hence paving the way for the beginning of China's normalised relations with the USA in the 1970s (United States Department of State, 2014). By 1980, the Chinese government, under Deng's leadership, launched economic reforms, marking the beginning of China's engagement in global trade with the international community (Beatriz, 2004; Chan, 2010; Sceats and Breslin, 2012). One of the consequences of the economic reforms was the beginning of complex migration patterns. It is commonly recognised that the huge influx of population from rural to urban areas was the combined consequences of residency policy (hukou) system change and economic reforms. Since the acceleration of reforms and opening-up in the 1970s and the ongoing loosening of the residency control, rural-urban migration has skyrocketed due to rapid industrialisation and urbanisation, as well as marketisation. This chapter provides an overview of the migration governance and mechanisms in China. It briefly describes the types of migrants in China, their burden of disease, and finishes with the discussion of key issues surrounding policy responses to internal migration in China.
    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationGlobalisation, Migration and Health: Challenges and Opportunities
    EditorsAndre M. N. Renzaho
    Place of PublicationU.K.
    PublisherImperial College Press
    Pages391-426
    Number of pages36
    ISBN (Electronic)9781783268900
    ISBN (Print)9781783268887
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2016

    Keywords

    • China
    • emigration and immigration
    • migration, internal

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