Immigration

People visit a pedestrian street on the Bund in Shanghai, China, on 14 February 2024. (Hector Retamal/AFP)

Attaining 'success': Chinese scholars and their journeys in the US

US academic Wu Guo looks into what makes Chinese scholars a success in the US. Were they already considered a talent in China before heading to the US, or did they become talents only after completing their studies in the US? And while these Chinese scholars have gained recognition in the US, they are still anxious about being “seen” by mainstream American academics and building rapport with their American students.
Malaysia’s pro-business policies, low consumption levels and multicultural environment have attracted many new immigrants from China.

[Big read] Double-edged sword of more new Chinese immigrants in Malaysia

With the rise of China's middle class, an increasing number of Chinese are able to go abroad for studies or to do business. Malaysia’s pro-business policies, low consumption levels and multicultural environment have attracted many new immigrants from China. Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Seoow Juin Yee finds out more about the opportunities in Malaysia and the pushback from the locals.
Republican presidential candidate and former US President Donald Trump holds a campaign rally at Coastal Carolina University ahead of the South Carolina Republican presidential primary in Conway, South Carolina, US, on 10 February 2024. (Sam Wolfe/Reuters)

US presidential election 2024: Unprecedented test of US democracy

Commentator Wei Da notes that a comeback win in the 2024 presidential election for former President Donald Trump would probably mean a threat to US democracy itself. Will Trump’s appeal be enough to bring him back to the White House?
A supporter holds up a sign in Manchester, New Hampshire, US, on 20 January 2024. (/Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

The US has never been so divided

Academic Han Dongping notes that the 2024 US presidential election will likely be a rematch between current President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump. One thing for certain is that if Trump is re-elected, this will surely exacerbate the divide between "red" and "blue" America.
Members of Border Angels and migrants demonstrate at the US-Mexico border as part of International Migrants Day in Playas de Tijuana, Baja California State, Mexico, on 18 December 2023. (Guillermo Arias/AFP)

Populism and anti-immigration fervour surges in the West

Taiwanese commentator Chen Kuohsiang notes that populist fervour and anti-immigration sentiments in the US and Europe embolden each other and form a vicious circle, dominating major political issues. This has led to the potential political comeback of former US President Donald Trump and the rise of opposition parties in Europe.
A shot of people on escalators at an urban shopping mall in Hong Kong. (iStock)

[Big read] Golden passports, visas and residential permits: How the wealthy go places

Lianhe Zaobao senior correspondent Poh Lay Hoon takes a closer look at "golden passports" (passports in return for investment) market, including the popular countries to seek these passports, the cost of becoming a citizen of a foreign country, the impact it has on the people of the country issuing such passports, as well as whether money laundering has had an impact on the investment immigration business.
A collage image of New York's Chinatown by Singaporean photographer and artist John Clang. (Photo: John Clang)

Should overseas Chinese be patriotic to the motherland?

Chinese people migrating overseas is a phenomenon that has occurred throughout the ages, but in history these migrants were treated with disdain and even faced execution. US academic Fei-Ling Wang looks at why one decides to leave their native land and even to become a citizen of a foreign country, and how they navigate between their chosen country and that of their ancestors.
Boats in Cheung Chau, Hong Kong, 2018. (Photo: Candice Chan)

The forgotten memories of those who returned to China after WWII

Post World War II, in the 1950s and 60s, some Chinese returned to China full of hope for new beginnings. When people are young, they are full of dreams, but all too often not all plans and aspirations can be fulfilled in real life, muses Hua Language Centre director Chew Wee Kai. The important thing is to keep moving forward from the struggles of those times, even if it means to erase them from memory.
People participate in the 2023 NYC Pride March in Manhattan, New York, on 25 June 2023. (David Dee/Reuters)

Why first-gen Chinese immigrants in the US detest white progressive ideals

Issues such as gender diversity and environmental protection seem to be too abstract for first-generation Chinese immigrants in the US, who see these problems as having no impact on day-to-day life. US academic Wu Guo mulls over the reasons why this group of new immigrants, for all their desires to be part of the American education system, is a staunch detractor of progressive ideals that are part and parcel of the system itself.