Abstract
Illegal migration from China is contrasted to that from Vietnam to highlight Hong Kong's unique place in such flows. Political upheavals in China, economic recessions and labor shortages in Hong Kong have caused waves of legal and illegal Chinese migration into Hong Kong which have been effectively contained through the vigilance of border patrols, police checks for identity cards, fines on employers of illegals, and cooperation from China. The increased numbers of Vietnamese boat people from 1988 led to a hardening in government and public attitudes, resulting in the reclassification of refugees as illegal migrants. The key difference in Hong Kong's effectiveness at stemming these two illegal migrant streams has been bilateral cooperation, which has been achieved with China but lacking in the case of Vietnam.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.