Book Release: Amy Liu on the Chinese Diaspora in Europe

Dr. Amy Liu, associate professor of government and an affiliate of the Asia Policy Program, recently released a book entitled The Language of Political Incorporation: Chinese Migrants in Europe (Temple University Press, 2021). Dr. Liu examines the varying levels of political incorporation among Chinese migrants in Central and Eastern Europe, and shows that linguistic networks matter greatly for their incorporation, including their trust in institutions and civic engagement. In Hungary, for example, the Chinese community has been politically incorporated, in part because they have not been targeted by anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies; by contrast, in Romania, Chinese migrants have sought assistance from the Chinese embassy to fight efforts to collect back taxes. Drawing on original survey data as well as comparisons with Muslims in the same region and Chinese migrants in Western Europe, this groundbreaking study challenges conventional wisdom on what leads to high levels of political incorporation, and offers insights into how governments can facilitate greater trust and involvement among migrant communities.