Heidi Ostbo Haugen and Tabitha Speelman’s  article “China’s Rapid Development Has Transformed Its Migration Trends,” discusses the internal migration trends of China and the role that the history of socioeconomic reforms play in the increase. According to Ostbo Haugen and Speelman (2022), “The story of China’s mobility boom starts at home, with millions of internal migrants moving from the country’s rural interior to the coastal areas, where they have contributed to the country’s urbanization and export-driven manufacturing growth.” The 2020 census identified nearly 376 million people lived someplace other than their household registration areas. This change in location has caught China’s attention and caused it to analyze more about these changes. 

Ostbo Haugen and Speelman also discuss how China’s strict family planning policies from the 1980s has had an impact on the reasoning behind why there are smaller working groups entering the labor force. Ostbo Haugen and Speelman state that “labor shortages did not drive the surge in international migration to China in this period, and little precedent or regulation exists for the immigration of unskilled workers. Instead, increased immigration was a result of new professional, commercial, and educational opportunities in China.” The ever changing population contributes to the socioeconomic status of the country. 

When I came across this article it really connected to the material we read and analyzed in the module. With an increase of humans there is the need to change or adjust infrastructure to the area. In Internal migration within China, Australian Geography Teachers Association states that “When populations migrate there is a changed demand on infrastructure in both the place they emigrate from and the place they immigrate to.” This reminds us to always have a global perspective when considering important decisions for major groups of people. Constant changes in populations, as seen in China, requires meeting the ever changing needs of the population. 

References: 

Australian Geography Teachers Association (2013) Internal migration within China. Educational     resource authored for Teachers and Students F-10.

Ostbo Haugen, Heidi and Speelman, Tabitha. (2022, January 28) China’s Rapid Development Has Transformed Its Migration Trends. https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/china-development-transformed-migration