ABSTRACT
Singaporean state authorities readjusted their recruitment of foreign talent in the post-Asian Financial Crisis era in order to re-position the city-state as a knowledge hub and a talent capital. Despite being considered desirable due to their ethnicity, highly skilled Chinese migrant workers have had an increased presence in Singapore over the last 20 years which has contributed to a growing citizen-foreigner divide. This chapter explores how Chinese foreign talent meets the various priorities of state authorities, while also exacerbating tensions in Singaporean society. By focusing on the stories of three Chinese foreign talents from Malaysia, Hong Kong and Mainland China respectively, it argues that they navigate local ethnic politics as foreign talent in Singapore differently, based on their specific Chinese ethnicity and national background. Alongside other key identity markers, such as gender, age and occupation, their unique Chinese profile shape their engagement with the city-state, their relationship to their home society and to various community actors in different ways, while providing unique perspectives on the limitations of the city-state’s foreign talent policy.
