Overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia

Abstract

Approximately 10 million overseas Chinese reside in Southeast Asia where they have economic power and political significance out of all proportion to their numbers. Southeast Asian governments are determined to loosen the Chinese grip on their national economies, to achieve an unequivocal clarinca tion of the citizenship status of resident Chinese, to end foreign political activity among and to proceed with educational and political integration of their citizens of Chinese descent. Prior to 1954, Communist China strove with equal determination to protect the special interests of overseas Chinese; to win their loyalty; and to profit materially, politically, and strategically from their patriotism. The growing importance of Southeast Asian goodwill to China's foreign policy, however, prompted a new line whereby overseas Chinese are encouraged to acquiesce to Southeast Asian nationalist aims without appealing to Peking for protection. In accord with the new policy, China appears willing to relinquish claims to the allegiance of several million persons of Chinese descent and even to forgo much of the over seas Chinese contribution to China's economy. Meanwhile several Southeast Asian governments have taken advantage of Peking's policy and Taipei's weakness to proceed with stringent, nationalistic solutions to their overseas Chinese problems.