The article examines recent transformations in diaspora governance at the local level, particularly the new, more integrated approach towards emigrated Chinese developed in places with longstanding and strong emigration movements. Based on the case study of Qingtian County in the eastern province of Zhejiang, the paper examines different ways in which local government is reaching out to its members abroad, focusing on activities in the area of legal affairs and public administration, investments, digital transformation, public diplomacy, local urban restructuring, and response to the Covid pandemic.
The findings reveal innovation and experimentation at the local level rather than the passive implementation of central policies, and point to the need for further unpacking of the role of the state in diaspora engagement.
Manuscript received on 1 December Accepted on 5 May In addition, there is a dearth of information on how local governments implement diaspora policies, not just in China but in other states with considerable emigration. The general belief is that policies trickle down to lower levels, which are passive receivers and implementers of these policies. In this article, I first argue that local governments are not passive recipients of top-down diaspora policies but rather innovators that can expand existing policies and activities or even design and pilot new initiatives.
Although the state at various levels was and remains central, the interactions and the relations among actors state, migrants and diaspora associations, international organisations, etc. Through this mechanism of central-local relations, local governments have received greater powers over some areas of decision-making e.
This allows them to make provisions based on their local characteristics and even take the initiative or experiment to ensure better public services Dong, Cui, and Christensen This greater autonomy is said to provide county-level governments with opportunities to strengthen relationships with investors both domestic and foreign and to enhance economic growth Gong, Liu, and Wu These networks are crucial in connecting state and social actors across national borders Liu and van Dongen I gathered the material for this article during my month-long fieldwork in Qingtian County in The article examines local diaspora governance and the discourse on this governance but does not delve into the implementation, the effects of these initiatives, or their reception among the locals or diasporic members abroad.
