“Chinese in the Russian Far East: A Geopolitical Timebomb?”
The biggest concern is that the Chinese are starting a massive migration into the Russian territories and it simply isn’t true. And they say so within the article.
According to ABC, Alexander Shaikin, in charge of controlling the Russian-Chinese border, said on June 29 that 1.5 million people from China have illegally entered the Russian Far East over the past 18 months.
Reported by The Moscow Times, Shaikin’s claim is likely exaggerated, but increased Chinese migration is marking a return of Chinese influence to these territories.
The Federal Migration Service fears a flood. The service has repeatedly warned that the Chinese could become the dominant ethnic group in the Russian Far East in 20 to 30 years. Such an occurrence would require an annual influx of about 250,000 to 300,000 Chinese, less than one-third the rate that Shaikin currently claims.
Two things, if the math is correct, it is going to take a generation and a half for the fear to be placed into reality, possibly 30 years. And two only 7.4 million Russians populate the entire Russian Far East. And when you consider that most of the border region — an area roughly the size of Iran — used to be Chinese, it would stand to reason that having new Russian citizens in there that could develope the area and would be a boom to their economy. Let’s face it, there isn’t a lot happening over there so what’s the sweat?
rwood