China Moves in to Laid-back Laos (BBC)
It is not everyday that I see Laos mentioned on the BBC.
This article makes interesting reading.
A fast-growing Chinese presence is one of the most striking features in Laos these days.
Beijing has been pouring billions of dollars in investment and development aid into the landlocked country, once consigned to the backyard of the Soviet bloc.
Yet it seems China has to do more to win the hearts of the Lao people….
further on it reads….
In the last few years, the number of Chinese living and working in Laos has been rising steadily. Official statistics say at least 30,000 live there, but in reality the figure could be 10 times greater. Not only is the Chinese presence highly visible in the northern border areas, but in the capital as well.
They (the government) say don’t worry but they give away business permissions and visa like sweets.
In Vientiane’s downtown Samsenthai quarter, streets are adorned with red lanterns and the smell of Chinese cooking adds to the dusty heat of the dry season.
At the Lao-Chinese market off Asean Street and the newly opened San Jiang trade centre, shops are packed to the ceiling with Chinese goods, from fake flowers to electric massage chairs.
Even the Vietnamese hawkers, once a regular sight on Vientiane streets, have now been replaced with Chinese vendors.
Are we really that “laid-back”?
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Great article. Thanks for sharing Vienne. I saw in the US media a few articles about the That Luang Marsh development project and how the Lao government revealed the land deal in exchange for the stadium.
Well, it looks like we will have 50,000 Chinese when the “China Town” is completed. The land deal is for 50 years, so my prediction is if things are going at this rate, in 50 years we will have mostly Sino-Laos living in Vientiane. There are only 460,000 Lao in Vientiane at the moment.
Pakse could be the next city to have a China town since it is the site for business hub of the south.
Is this a win-win situation? Well, for China facing with the shortage of girls, this is a good deal for those families that can afford to live in Laos.
Laos is China’s backyard now.
I am guessing here but the one child law does not apply to them if they live outside of China?
Hi Dallas,
Probably not but I don’t know if there is a law that if you go back to China you can take only one child with you or not. The way to get around is to have twins so some people are turning to fertility drugs.
I saw a documentary BBC not too long ago how the Chinese government is encouraging people to have a daughter by providing free education and some allowance for the family.
The problem is really bad and there is even cases of bride kidnapping in China.
I read from various sources that the one child policy in China that is designed to limit population growth will continue through 2010 and would continue indefinitely because it’s consistent with the nation’s plan for population growth, I believed they reassess the plan every 5 years. But it’s stricter to those living in urban areas, and citizens living in rural areas and minorities living in China are not subject to the law. But I thought in 2000, they allowed having 2 children between a couple, and for those that remarrying couples are allowed to have one child between each other even if they’ve each had one child from their previous marriages, so it’s not as strict as we thought. But definitely a shortage of female in China, and some would choose the profession of Ernai, a modern version of concubines, a new profession for women in China. I’d assume that those that live in Laos are not subject to the rule as well. I figure if you have many children while living in Laos, you’ve broken the China law and probably can’t go back with that many children. Those that were born in Laos might be considered Lao citizens and when they go back to China, they would be considered as foreigner. There might be a fine print on this somewhere.
The Chinese influx reminds me of the Israeli settlement encroaching closer and closer into the Palestinian territory. But this doesn’t seem to be the case. It’s great to include a lot of diversity into Laos. It is what Laos need - a new genetic pool with different abilities and talents - more Chinese food, more to-be programmers. But what Laos doesn’t need is the slow destruction of its language, culture or way of life - which includes smiling to random people every 5 seconds.
Eventually, if all goes well, there will be lots of multilingual Chinese in Laos. This has happen in the past history and which has turned out well. If the influx increases too rapidly and uncontrollably or they can’t stand to be near Lao people, I think we might have our own Tibet-like crises. 