Regional Representation in China

UNHCR Regional Representation in China

UNHCR established its office in China in February 1980 to respond to the Vietnamese refugee influx following the Sino-Vietnamese conflict in 1978-1979. In 1997, the UNHCR office in Beijing became a Regional Office and is now covering Mainland China, Hong Kong Special Administration Region (HK SAR) and Macao Special Administration Region (Macao SAR).

UNHCR in Mainland China

China acceded to the two main international refugee instruments, the 1951 Convention and the 1967 Protocol, in September 1982. China has throughout the years participated actively in the Executive Committee of High Commissioner’s Programme, a panel of countries that provides advice and guidelines for the work of UNHCR and approves its annual budget.

Individual refugees and asylum seekers

Although China is a party to both the 1951 Convention and 1967 Protocol, there are no formal legislative or administrative provisions governing the granting of asylum in China. In general, UNHCR has access to asylum seekers who are in Beijing and conducts Refugee Status Determination (RSD). Refugees recognized under the UNHCR’s mandate are permitted to remain temporarily in China while a durable solution, most of the time resettlement to a third country, is being sought by UNHCR.

While in china, non-Indochinese refugees are treated in general as aliens who have no right to employment, and therefore they have to be supported by UNHCR in terms of food, accommodation, health care, and children education.

Indochinese refugees

During 1978-1979, about 260,000 refugees from northern Vietnam, the majority of whom were ethnic Chinese, fled from their homeland to China. The Chinese authorities provided them with refugee status and settled them in 6 southern provinces/autonomous region of  China – Guangxi, Guangdong, Yunan, Hainan (part of Guangdong province at that time), Fujian and Jiangxi.

In 1981 and 1982, China provided resettlement opportunities for some 2,500 Laotian and a small number of Cambodian refugees form camps in Thailand. Between 1992 and 1997, about 3,700 Laotian refugees (including their expanded families), indicated their wish to return to Laos from China. Arrangements were made by UNHCR in collaboration with the concerned governments for their voluntary repatriation, and for re-integration assistance upon their return to their country of origin. Those Laotians who chose to stay in China remain in Yunnan province where they have integrated into the local population. There are currently about 5 families of Cambodian refugees and over 800 Laotian refugees remaining in China.

After over 25 years, these ethnically Chinese refugees and their children are living in a situation of full de-facto local integration. The socio-economical status of this group seems at par with the local Chinese population. To ensure the local integration is durable and sustainable in the long term, UNHCR will continue to seek full naturalization of the Indo-Chinese refugees with the government of  People’s Republic of China.

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