Making their presence felt

Concerted efforts are needed from all stakeholders to manage social change in Guangzhou

Guangzhou has been a magnet for the African community in China with its commercial environment, hot climate and an economy reliant largely on manufacturing and exports.

Though commercial interests are driving Africans to Guangzhou, a growing number of them are now turning to the city to pursue their "Chinese Dream" by setting up small businesses.

The teeming African community in areas like Xiaobei Road, Taojin Road and Sanyuanli community in Guangzhou gives the impression that you are in an African city. Some local citizens even call this particular area "Guangzhou Brooklyn".

Unlike the South Korean community in Qingdao, the Japanese residential area in Shanghai's Gubei and the Arab communities in Zhejiang's Yiwu, Guangzhou's African immigrants are mostly small traders from West African nations like Nigeria, Mali, Togo, Gambia, Guinea, Ghana, Senegal and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

While the export trade propelled the first wave of Africans to China, the financial crisis and shrinking trade avenues elsewhere in the world are driving the new rush. Tighter visa regulations and higher living costs in big Chinese cities like Beijing and Shanghai are also prompting many Africans to look at smaller cities with lower living costs and less rigid regulations.

With Guangzhou known as China's main foreign trade hub since time immemorial, it was logical that it would be a destination of choice for the African community. The annual China Import & Export Fair in Guangzhou has been another trigger as it provides the biggest platform for traders from all over the world to buy and sell goods. Another attraction has been the existence of several small cities in and around Guangzhou where the African community can source goods on a wholesale basis.

According to a report published by the Guangzhou-based Sun Yat-sen University, there were around 20,000 to 30,000 Africans in the city last year. The report said there are three types of Africans living in the city.

The first are the "gold-collar" traders, who are longtime residents of Guangzhou, and are mainly engaged in trading of garments, commodities and cheap electronics. Many of them have also obtained Chinese residency, while others have married local citizens.

The second type of Africans in Guangzhou is the "white-collar" worker, employed in offices as intermediaries, bodyguards, phone card sales employees and for other services. The third is the "blue-collar" category, those working as porters in the wholesale market, and living on meager pay.

Though the African community is increasing in Guangzhou, it has been difficult for the local population to deal with the influx of expatriates. China is not an immigrant country and as such the expatriate influx triggers several cultural and social problems. So to a large extent, the onus is on the African community in Guangzhou to maintain friendly relations with the local community to gain acceptance. At the same time, the local government, city managers, local residents and the general public need to find ways to address the social change.

The influx of Africans brings with it the problem of illegal employment. This is something that may not go down well with the local populace in the long run as it restricts their employment opportunities. In some warehouses there is already intense competition between African and Chinese migrant workers for limited jobs.

The African community has also changed the traditional structure of local employment. The number of restaurants catering to people from the Middle East and Africa has been increasing in Guangzhou and most of these establishments prefer hiring Africans rather than the traditional Hunan or Sichuan migrant workers.

The Guangzhou government has now started to pay attention to several of these social security issues. However, there is also growing demand from the African expatriate population in Guangzhou for proper rights. Reasonable or not, their demands to be part of Guangzhou cannot be ignored.

Despite rapid economic development, Guangzhou's nearly 14 million population has put great pressure on its urban management, especially as many African expatriates can only speak French, Arabic or their own languages.

The government should guide the local Chinese to have the right perspective and attitude toward African immigrants in Guangzhou. Many Africans have helped promote trade between China and Africa, and therefore the Chinese residents should not regard this phenomenon as a scourge.

The inflow of foreigners is also an indicator of a country's economic development. The fact that more foreigners are coming to China reflects its rising international status. The increasing number of Africans in Guangzhou also reflects the city's economic prosperity.

It takes the right attitude from the local government to tackle the issues arising from the African influx, while in-depth studies from universities and research institutions will also help. The local government cannot have the laissez-faire mentality, and a one-size-fits-all policy won't work either.

The author is a researcher at the Guangzhou Academy of Social Sciences.

(China Daily Africa Weekly 07/19/2013 page9)