Dynamics of internal migration in China and the problem of development of the northeastern regions in 2010-2020

Abstract

Internal migration in China is a severe problem for ensuring a balanced regional development. Although the authorities are taking active measures to rebalance the situation and creating urban megaclasters with developed infrastructure, the eastern and southeastern regions are noticeably ahead of all other China regions in terms of migration inflow. Simultaneously, the trend of outflow from the northeastern and partly northwestern and central areas remains. Regions that are "donors" of population experience a shortage of professional staff of working age. Three obvious periods of change in migration flows in the 1990-2000s show that the waves of population displacement follow the waves of economic development of the regions. And the northeastern provinces have entered the stage of long-term population outflow both in terms of absolute population size and in terms of talented professional personnel. This is superimposed on the problem of population aging, increasing budgetary expenditures for support of elderly people. Considering that it is the three northeastern provinces that are the most important region of cross-border trade with Russia, primarily with the Russian Far East, in the future, within the framework of development of the Russian-Chinese border relations, it is expedient to take into account the situation and the consequences of the outflow of both population and a number of projects to other regions of China.