European Chinese

Chinese immigration in Europe is rising steadily. The trend is part of the wider phenomenon of growing Chinese transnational migration. In 1980, the citizens of the Republic of China residing abroad were roughly 27 million. The number rose to over 45 million by 2007. although the majority of Chinese migrants head to Asia or America, the number immigrating to Europe has nearly quadrupled from the 1980s to the present, displaying a growth rate second only to African destinations.

The first Chinese migrations to Europe were set in motion by Great Britain in the first half of the 19th century. the open-door policy forcibly imposed on China with the help of cannon fire during the first Opium War (1839-1842) offered advantageous business opportunities to the British as well as new opportunities for Chinese workers to embark on a voyage to Europe and settle in the major ports of London and Amsterdam. a few decades later, another war would lead to the second wave of migrants. about 200,000 Chinese workers were recruited by the allied forces during the First World War to build roads and dig trenches.