The Chinese Overseas

1. The Chinese Overseas

3. Singapore

4. Confucianism in Singapore

5. Malaysia

6. Thailand

7. Vietnam

8. Indonesia • 5 to 6 million ethnic Chinese (<3% popul.)

9. Philippines

11. Patterns of Migration • Main patterns of Chinese migration • Trade • Labor • Exile • ...

12. Ancient Trade Routes

13. Labor Migration

14. Chinese migration overseas • Social pressures from the mainland • political turmoil, famine, natural disaster, Communist and Cultural Revolution, etc. • emigration from coastal provinces • Guangdong, Fujian, Hainan, etc. • waves of migration to established communities • tight economic and psychological contact with their home regions

15. Southeast Asia • Regional foundation for the socioeconomic network • transnational flow of people and wealth • regional dialect and kinship • define capitalism in Southeast Asia today

16. Selective solidarity • Ethnic Chinese remain significantly Chinese • bound to China and to Confucian ethics • unite clans and provide basis for cooperation • often hostile environment • discrimination, displacement, and violence • resentment against disproportionate control of wealth

17. Chinese capitalism • Environment of insecurity and mistrust • mentality to ensure survival and fuel success • entrepreneurial spirit and wealth creation became essential • family and its internal hierarchy are at the center of economic life • family enterprises

18. Chinese business network • extensive networks of small and medium-sized firms instead of conglomerates • networks of trust had to be extended beyond family

19. Chinese business network • Environment of rudimentary capital market, limited financial disclosure, and weak contract law • social networks became critical to moving economic resources across political boundaries • confidence and trust replace contracts as major guarantees of commitment

20. Chinese business networks • Tight network structures • flexibility and quick response to changing circumstances and opportunities • cultivating networks between politicians and Chinese firms • changes and transformation in recent years • transnational operations • economic linkages with China’s mainland

21. World Bank estimates • Total economic output of the 55 million ethnic Chinese in Southeast Asia • 400 billion US$ in 1991 • 600 billion US$ in 1996 • ethnic Chinese control 500 of the largest public corporations in Southeast Asia • total assets of 500 billion US$

22. Less visible assets • Private enterprises owned by ethnic Chinese • ethnic and social networks among ethnic Chinese businesses • crucial bonds and coordinating agents between the economies of Southeast Asia • underlying principles, norms, activities, and informal relationships