Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada

According to an article published by the South China Morning Post (SCMP), ethnic Chinese persons began to leave Venezuela as the economy collapsed and due to the presence of "violent protests" (SCMP 14 Aug. 2017). In another article, the same source reports that the Chinese population in Venezuela "peak[ed]" at 400,000 in 2013, but "has shrunk rapidly in the past few years"; the article notes that "'[t]ens of thousands'" of Chinese persons have left Venezuela (SCMP 24 Jan. 2019). A report published by the Inter-American Dialogue (The Dialogue), a think tank that works to "foster democratic governance, prosperity, and social equity in Latin America and the Caribbean" and "to shape policy debate, devise solutions, and enhance cooperation within the Western Hemisphere" (The Dialogue n.d.), estimates that there were 130,000 Chinese migrants in Venezuela in 2009 (The Dialogue Oct. 2016, 11). The same source, however, notes that data on Chinese migrants in Venezuela is "simply unreliable or unavailable" (The Dialogue Oct. 2016, 10).

The Dialogue report states that "[t]he presence of low to mid-skilled Chinese workers in Latin America … has generated some controversy in recent years," explaining that this is due to "a perception that low-skill Chinese laborers are being employed instead of capable local labor" (The Dialogue Oct. 2016, 7). According to the same source, this perception has generated "[t]ensions" towards Chinese labourers in Latin American countries, including Venezuela (The Dialogue Oct. 2016, 7). Further and corroborating information on the situation of ethnic Chinese persons in Venezuela could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

The Inter-American Dialogue (The Dialogue). N.d. "About." [Accessed 18 Dec. 2019]

The Inter-American Dialogue (The Dialogue). October 2016. Jacqueline Mazza. Chinese Migration to Latin America and the Caribbean. [Accessed 17 Dec. 2019]

South China Morning Post (SCMP). 14 August 2017. He Huifeng. "As Venezuela Implodes, so Do the Dreams of Thousands of Fleeing Chinese." [Accessed 26 Nov. 2019]

South China Morning Post (SCMP). 24 January 2019. He Huifeng. "Venezuela Crisis Watched by China Immigrants Who Fled Chaos with Anxiety - and Hope." [Accessed 21 Nov. 2019]

Additional Sources Consulted

Oral sources: Academic at an American university whose interests include the Asian diaspora in Latin America; academic at an American university whose interests include Latin America and the Caribbean; academic at a Chinese university who studies international relations; reporter at South China Morning Post.

Internet sites, including: Al Jazeera; Amnesty International; Australia – Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade; BBC; Bertelsmann Stiftung – Bertelsmann Stiftung's Transformation Index; Centre for Research on Globalization; Chile – Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional; China – Ministry of Foreign Affairs; City Population; Crítica; ecoi.net; The Economist; El Comercio; El Nuevo Herald; El Periódico; El Sumario; El Tiempo; El Universal; Encyclopaedia Britannica; The Europa World Year Book; Factiva; France – Office français de protection des réfugiés et apatrides; Freedom House; The Guardian; Human Rights Watch; International Crisis Group; Journal of Refugee Studies; Miami Herald; Minority Rights Group International; The New Humanitarian; Noticias de Taiwan; PanAm Post; Political Handbook of the World; Reuters; Trading Economics; teleSur; UK – Home Office; Últimas Noticias; UN – Food and Agriculture Organization, International Organization for Migration, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Refworld, ReliefWeb, UNHCR, UNICEF, World Statistics Pocketbook; US – CIA World Factbook, Department of State; Venezolana de Televisión; Venezuela – Instituto Nacional de Estadística; Venezuelanalysis.com; Voice of America; Xinhua News Agency; Washington Office on Latin America; The Washington Post; WorldAtlas; Worldometers; World Population Review.