Ethnically diverse diasporas and migrations from China to Central Asia in the twenty-first century

This chapter analyses diverse migrations between China and post-Soviet Kazakhstan in the context of China’s rise in Central Asia in the 2000s. It argues that China’s engagement in various economic sectors is beneficial for both countries. It explores the history, latest trends, ethnic structure and contemporary migrations in Kazakhstan. The primary focus of the study is ethnically diverse diasporas – Chinese, Uyghurs, and Dungans – who historically migrated from China and are currently citizens of Kazakhstan. The chapter also describes the emerging communities of more recent migrants of these ethnicities, as well as of the Han Chinese. Also highlighted is the impact of China’s rise on Kazakhstani diasporas, about their ethnic formation and identities. There are gaps in knowledge about these new processes, which the author addresses with a pilot sociological study on the Han diaspora. The chapter covers the period from the early 1990s up to 2016.