In the ‘Asian Century,’ Indians and Chinese Flee

Why are the brightest and wealthiest so eager to leave these supposedly ascendant countries?

By Sadanand Dhume. Excerpts:

"Each year, tens of thousands of Indians and Chinese are willing to risk life and limb to enter America illegally. In fiscal 2023, Customs and Border Protection agents encountered 97,000 Indian and 53,000 Chinese inadmissible aliens, or people without authorization to enter the country. That’s more than three times as many Indians and more than twice as many Chinese as were caught in 2021. Based on CPB data, China’s numbers are on track to rise dramatically this year."

"China and India have long dominated student visas to the U.S., though Chinese are more likely than Indians to return home after their studies. Last year about 55,000 Chinese and 69,000 Indians pursued optional practical training, a year or two of work following graduation that often leads to a job in America.

Indians and Chinese also receive more H1-B temporary visas for skilled workers than do citizens of any other country. Indians alone typically get more than half the 85,000 H1-B visas issued each year. According to the Migration Policy Institute, Indians are now the second-largest immigrant group in the U.S., after Mexicans. Chinese are third."

"The largest group of migrants in 2019 was Indians (17.5 million people), and Chinese were third (10.7 million people) behind Mexicans (11.8 million people)."

"But look more closely and these emigration patterns reveal weaknesses that Asian-century believers often miss. One telling sign is the outflow of “high net worth individuals,” banking jargon for wealthy people. Thriving nations typically attract capital and talent. They don’t drive them away. Yet in 2022 China lost more millionaires than any other country—10,800 people"

"India came in third, losing 7,500 millionaires that year, just behind Russia’s 8,500."

"blame Xi Jinping’s crackdown on the private sector to tighten his grip on Chinese society. Well-off Chinese have long shifted their money into assets or property in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Australia or Singapore—all countries that follow robust Anglo-Saxon legal traditions."

"For Indians, the concerns are different. The country’s patchy governance often drives the wealthy and best-educated away. They want to escape polluted cities, harassment by tax authorities, subpar public-health programs and shoddy urban infrastructure."