The Chinese are Coming: Public Opinion and Threat Perception in the Russian Far East

Unpublished data from the passport and visa registration service of Primorsky krai, interdepartmental memos from the Pacific Regional Directorate of the Russian Federal Border Service, and this author's interviews with the chief of Primorsky krai Migration Service together suggest that the number of Chinese migrants in Primorsky krai at best amounts to approximately 1-1.5% of the local Russian population on any given day. The actual number of Chinese migrants cannot be significantly higher. Putting Russian statistical data and official statements to test, this author conducted systematic visual observations on four trips to Primorsky krai (Primor'e) in 1999 and 2000 and found no evidence of Chinese presence that would be even remotely similar to the Chinese presence in New York, San Francisco, or even Moscow. […]

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