TIMORESE CHINESE AND CHINESE IN EAST TIMOR帝汶華人及身處東帝汶的華人
This article investigates the Chinese presence on the island of Timor, with a special focus on the Hakka (客家/kehija) and, above all, on the case of "Chinese Timorese" and Chinese residents in Timor-Leste. The author proposes a historical and socioeconomic explanation for the intensification, in the...
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| Published in: | Review of Culture |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Articles |
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Instituto Cultural de Macau
2014
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| Online Access: | https://www.icm.gov.mo/rc/viewer/pdfViewerParts/40045/2411 |
| Summary: | This article investigates the Chinese presence on the island of Timor, with a special focus on the Hakka (客家/kehija) and, above all, on the case of "Chinese Timorese" and Chinese residents in Timor-Leste. The author proposes a historical and socioeconomic explanation for the intensification, in the recent period, of the arrival of Chinese entrepreneurs and specialists in the newly independent country, articulating the attraction exerted by a new economy with the dynamics of entrepreneurship in the context of twenty-first-century globalization. Methodologically, the text combines a historical framework—from the early arrivals linked to the sandalwood trade to the predominance of the Hakka before independence in 2002—with a contextual analysis of the post-2002 period, highlighting the role of the State and Chinese diplomacy (including the work of the embassy and institutional projects) in the deepening of Sino-Timorese relations. The author argues that the Hakka predominance, previously a majority, helps to understand existing networks and social capital, while the material opportunities of Timor-Leste (low income, infrastructure under construction, resource reserves, and a strategic geopolitical position) make the country particularly attractive for small-scale commercial initiatives. It concludes that the contemporary Chinese presence results from the interaction between migratory continuities and economic conditions favorable to entrepreneurial "calculated risk." |
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| ISSN: | 1682-1106 |