Transnational capital transfers have been taking place in China’s border
regions inhabited by ethnic minorities. This article studies the mobilization of one
minority’s transnational ethnic ties for local economic development. The
analysis will concentrate on the local attempts to attract foreign investments,
donations, and remittances. These activities are examined within a framework of
“transnationalism from above.” Yanbian Korean Autonomous
Prefecture adjacent to the Korean Peninsula will serve as an example. The main
findings suggest that compared with overseas Chinese work there are similarities in
activities but clear differences in the selection of the organs engaged in them.
Yanbian has been successful in attracting foreign Korean investments but significant
small-scale resources remain untapped. The article suggests that appreciation of
transnational ethnic resources would help to integrate ethnic minorities into
China’s modernization program, in which they currently occupy a
marginalized position.
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