135 F. Kraas et al. (eds.

), Megacities: Our Global Urban Future, International Year of Planet Earth,

DOI 10.1007/978-90-481-3417-5_10, Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2014
T. Bork-Hffer (*)
Asia Research Institute , National University of Singapore ,
469A, Tower Block, Bukit Timah Road,
259770, Singapore
e-mail: t.bork@uni-koeln.de
B. Raf enbeul
Department of Geography , University of Cologne ,
Albertus-Magnus Platz , 50923 , Cologne , Germany
10
Abstract
The migration of African traders to Guangzhou, located in southeastern
China, started in the 1990s and has ever since been increasing. During the
last years, the neighbouring city of Foshan has become a second centre of
African migration. While a growing number of migrants have been moving
from Guangzhou to Foshan, an increased direct migration to Foshan can
also be witnessed. The aim of this contribution is to demonstrate how the
dynamics and complexity of processes in and between the two cities as well
as regional, national and global conditions and developments are in uencing
this new migration ow. Urban development aims, their interpretation and
implementation at various levels are considered, together with the reac-
tions, exibility and adaption strategies of the migrants. Furthermore, this
example highlights how global developments (e.g. global economic crisis
2008/2009, Chinas entry to the WTO), national conditions (e.g. national
immigration regulations, development strategies, hosting of major interna-
tional events) and interurban competition and co-operation are interrelated
and have diverse impacts on the migration ows. The analysis is based on
a quantitative survey of 253 African migrants, four expert interviews and 14
qualitative interviews with African migrants.
Keywords
China International migration Urbanisation Global change
Global Change, National
Development Goals, Urbanisation
and International Migration
in China: African Migrants
in Guangzhou and Foshan
Tabea Bork-Hffer , Birte Raf enbeul , Frauke Kraas ,
and Zhigang Li
F. Kraas
Institute of Geography , University of Cologne ,
Albertus-Magnus Platz , 50923 , Cologne , Germany
Z. Li
School of Geography and Planning ,
Sun Yat-sen University ,
No. 135 Xiangangxi Road, Guangzhou, 510275, China
136 T. Bork-Hffer et al.
10.1 Global Change, Urbanisation
and International Migrants
in the Worlds Workshop
Following the foundation of the Peoples Republic
of China on 1 October 1949, foreign immigration
and urbanisation were strictly regulated and lim-
ited. Only as a result of the reform policy pursued
since, 1978 a process of extensive catch-up
urbanisation begun, especially in Chinas coastal
provinces. Likewise entry and exit regulations for
foreigners were relaxed; nevertheless, migration
of foreigners to China remained limited and sub-
ject to strict regulations. However, one of the
consequences of Chinas tremendous growth in
signi cance in the global economy and commu-
nity was an increasing in ux of foreigners to
China, especially in the last decade and mostly to
the booming cities of the coastal provinces.
Estimates assume that a total of up to two million
international migrants are currently living in
China (see Pieke 2010 : 20).
One densely inhabited region that has grown
very rapidly since 1978 is the Pearl River Delta in
the southeastern Chinese province of Guangdong,
which was declared a special economic area in
1985 and is one of the rst and largest urban
development corridors in China. Over the last
three decades, a multinodal, mega-urban agglom-
eration has developed here (with the megacities
Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Dongguan and the
emerging megacities Foshan and Zhuhai), where
one city merges into the next (Kraas 2004 ) . With
the largest concentration of export-oriented
industries worldwide, the Pearl River Delta has
become known as the worlds workshop (Sun
et al. 2006 : 28). Cross-border trade relations have
a long tradition in the region of the Pearl River
Delta due to its proximity to Hong Kong, Macau
and Taiwan and the activities of overseas Chinese
stemming from the region (Cartier 2001 ) . As the
provincial capital, Guangzhou is one of Chinas
most important trading cities, and many immi-
grants have settled here (at least temporarily)
since the nineteenth century (Cartier 2001 ) . Most
of the few foreign business people allowed into
the country during the period between 1949 and
1978 stayed in Guangzhou, in connection with
the trade fair (Brady 2003 : 2). The fair continues
to attract hundreds of thousands of foreign trad-
ers today.
The aim of this contribution is to demonstrate
the dynamics and complexity of processes in and
between urban areas as well as their interdepen-
dence with local, regional, national and global
conditions and developments using the example
of African migration to Guangzhou and Foshan.
The focus of the analysis is on migrants reloca-
tion from Guangzhou to Foshan and direct migra-
tion to Foshan. The example highlights the
diversity and interrelatedness of in uences of
global developments and agreements (e.g. global
economic crisis 2008/2009, Chinas entry to the
WTO), national conditions (e.g. national immi-
gration regulations, development strategies, host-
ing of major international events) and interurban
competition and co-operation. Regional, urban
and local development aims, their interpretation
and implementation at various levels are also
considered, together with the reactions, exibility
and adaption strategies of urban actors. The anal-
ysis is based on a quantitative survey of a total of
253 African migrants,
1
179 of whom live in
Guangzhou and 74 in Foshan. Four interviews
were carried out with experts (president of one
African migrant association, representatives of

1
All of the data used were obtained as part of the research
project Internal and International Migrant Communities
in the Pearl River Delta/China Linking Informal
Migration Dynamics, Global Change and Urban Health,
which is part of the German Science Foundations pro-
gramme 1233 Megacities Megachallenge: Informal
Dynamics of Global Change.
In this article, the term migrant is used to describe
individuals residing primarily in China for longer periods
of time or planning to do so even if this cannot be rea-
lised, for example, because of rejected visa applications.
The term also includes individuals who repeatedly spend
time in China over a longer period. Thus, the use of the
concept is adapted to the group studied here, African citi-
zens resident in the Pearl River Delta, some of whom
demonstrate a very high level of transnational mobility.
However, more recent de nitions of migrants also take
into account the growing mobility of international
migrants (see Castles 2000). The UNESCO ( 2010 ) de nes
a migrant as any person who lives temporarily or perma-
nently in a country where he or she was not born, and has
acquired some signi cant social ties to this country.