Mcf. Gao et X. Liu, FROM STUDENT TO CITIZEN - A SURVEY OF STUDENTS FROM THE PEOPLES-REPUBLIC-OF-CHINA (PRC) IN AUSTRALIA, International migration, 36(1), 1998, pp. 27-48
This article is a survey of students from the People's Republic of Chi
na (PRC) who arrived in Australia after 1986 and were still there in 1
992. Students from the PRC began to enter Australia in 1972 when China
and Australia established diplomatic relations. The numbers were insi
gnificant until 1986 when Australia launched its education export poli
cy. The article provides statistics and analysis on the motivation of
these students, their education and family backgrounds and their prese
nt conditions and aspirations. The article also addresses issues such
as Australia's education export and immigration policies, the dilemma
between political and economic refugees in terms of human rights and t
he impact of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre on PRC students in Aus
tralia at the time. The survey results suggest that the majority of th
e former PRC students have settled successfully in Australia, though n
ot without considerable difficulties and emotional cost. The question
of distinction between political and economic refugees is acknowledged
as a very thorny one, and it is suggested that immigration policy bas
ed on national interest, and clearly stated, would be more convincing,
less hypocritical and therefore in the long run more effective.