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
Main Author: Jean A. Berlie
Format: Articles
Published: Instituto Cultural de Macau 2014
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.icm.gov.mo/rc/viewer/pdfViewerParts/40045/2411
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author Jean A. Berlie
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Jean A. Berlie
author_sort Jean A. Berlie
container_title Review of Culture
container_title_str Review of Culture
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description 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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spelling 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 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."
Instituto Cultural de Macau
Macau
Review of Culture
Articles
2014
Jean A. Berlie
spellingShingle TIMORESE CHINESE AND CHINESE IN EAST TIMOR帝汶華人及身處東帝汶的華人
Jean A. Berlie
title TIMORESE CHINESE AND CHINESE IN EAST TIMOR帝汶華人及身處東帝汶的華人
title_autocomplete TIMORESE CHINESE AND CHINESE IN EAST TIMOR帝汶華人及身處東帝汶的華人
title_full TIMORESE CHINESE AND CHINESE IN EAST TIMOR帝汶華人及身處東帝汶的華人
title_fullStr TIMORESE CHINESE AND CHINESE IN EAST TIMOR帝汶華人及身處東帝汶的華人
title_full_unstemmed TIMORESE CHINESE AND CHINESE IN EAST TIMOR帝汶華人及身處東帝汶的華人
title_short TIMORESE CHINESE AND CHINESE IN EAST TIMOR帝汶華人及身處東帝汶的華人
title_sort timorese chinese and chinese in east timor帝汶華人及身處東帝汶的華人
url https://www.icm.gov.mo/rc/viewer/pdfViewerParts/40045/2411
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