According to a recent Economist article, "more Chinese people live outside mainland China than French people live in France, with some to be found in almost every country." The article also includes this map showing the top 20 destinations around the world for Chinese as well as Indian migrants.
Chinese emigrants dominate most of Asia and there are significant Chinese migrant minorities in several Western countries including the United States. According to 2009 census information, there were almost 4 million people of Chinese descent in America. While many countries including the United States fear immigration (especially ironic in a nation founded by immigrants), this Economist article says that rich countries (with an influx of immigration) are likely to benefit while poorer countries are likely to suffer from large-scale emigration. I think this makes sense since, from my observation in China and the United States, the majority of Chinese immigrants to the U.S. tend to be the best China has to offer in terms of education, ambition and work ethic. For example, college students I've known in China that pursue graduate study in the U.S. tend to be in the top 5% of all Chinese college students. Maybe the U.S. shouldn't be quite so hostile to immigration after all.
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