Unrest might erupt in China as govt tightens restrictions on migration

OTTAWA: The social unrest might erupt among rural millions in China due to tough rules set in place by the Chinese government to make it nearly impossible for rural migrants to acquire permits to shift to megacities, a Canada-based think tank said citing a report.

In a piece titled China’s Hukou Brewing social unrest among rural million, the International Forum for Right and Society (IFFRAS), said the Hukou system is said to be designed in order to maintain the professional and highly developed image of the big cities.

China introduced to infamous “hukou” system to control migration. It is used to limit where a person is allowed to live. A person needs a permit to shift from a rural “hukou” to an urban “hukou”. It is extremely difficult, even impossible, to get that permit.

Initially, people used to migrate illegally and face exemplary punishment if discovered by the authorities. Still, the migration continued because people only faced unemployment at home, reported IFFRAS.

The IFFRAS quoted a report published in the blog of The China Story of the Australian Centre on China in the World at the Australian National University on September 16.

The report said that the practice of adopting elusive criteria and hidden rules gives local governments in China absolute control over local hukou transfers.

However, for those migrants hopeful of getting a local hukou, there can be a mismatch between expectations and reality, said the blog, adding that “This can potentially lead to social unrest.”

The Chinese government does not want people to clog the urban centers where their poor economic situation would force them to populate slums. Ghettos of the poor are not encouraged by the government.

The system subsequently allowed the rural people to shift, but not to megacities like Beijing or Shanghai where they preferred to go. They were only allowed to go to small cities or towns or the various industrial zones.

According to data from the Census of 2010, quoted by The China Story website, “61 million children under the age of 17 were ‘left behind’, equivalent to one-fifth of China’s child population”. (ANI)