Chinas Public Organizations as Partners of the Russian Federation in Implementing the State Policy of Assistance to Compatriots Abroad: Historical Experience of Diaspores and New Trends
The article examines the main activity directions of non-governmental organizations in China in terms of the retrospective, general trends in the present-day period and specificity of this activity in PRC and the trans-border territories of the Russian Federation. Each of the three periods of existence of the public organizations of compatriots – pre-revolutionary, Soviet and post-Soviet — has both common traits and their specificity. The first voluntary organizations for support of Russian compatriots in China appeared in terms of public initiative in early XX century. As long as a system of state support of those migrated was absent in China, the emigrants created public organizations that assisted the compatriots materially and spiritually. Compatriots’ organizations arranged «Days of Russian Culture», supported opening and existence of schools and libraries, created a Russian-speaking media space. The break-up of the USSR stimulated not only the migration processes but also consolidation of the Russian diaspores around the world, appearance of new forms of organizing the compatriots living in various countries. In the modern period the state participates actively in integrating activities of public compatriots’ organizations in the far abroad because it comprehends that these organizations scattered around the whole world are unable to fully perform defense of the compatriots’ interests, to support the Russian-speaking mass media, to preserve affiliation with the Russian culture, traditions and the language. Beginning from early 2000, the Russian federation and the People’s Republic of China have been developing inter-governmental cooperation in the + sphere of assistance to compatriots, counteraction to illegal migrations. Intensification of regional cooperations has become a new direction. In Zabaikalye Territory, the cooperation with public organizations of Russian compatriots in China is carried out by the territorial Ministry of International Cooperation and Foreign Connections. The article states major directions and forms of work with Russian compatriots in China at the regional level. It makes a conclusion that the Russian Federation places great emphasis to strengthening of partner cooperation of compatriots with Russia, the government tries along with the public to determine new and most prospective direction of activities. In China, the integration of business community, integration of youth organizations can be referred to such directions.