Moscow: Vostochnaya kniga Publ., 2009, 512 p.

The subject of the reviewed monograph has been the subject of serious study by Russian scientists in recent years, both in Moscow and in the Far East. And this is not surprising, since it has not only scientific, but also political and applied significance. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Far Eastern region of Russia faces a problem of depopulation. In these circumstances, the presence of a powerful neighbor with an excess population can not but cause alarm among a significant part of the expert community and the political elite, voices began to be heard about the impending "Chinese threat".

A. G. Larin's fundamental research deals, perhaps, with all the issues related to Chinese migration in Russia in one way or another. It is enough to list only the headings of the sections of the second, central chapter devoted to this topic: "Chinese" quasi-diaspora": numbers, classes"; "Businessmen"; "Workers"; " Students (a sociological study)"; "Tourists", "Migrants and the law"; "Russian-Chinese relations and Chinese migrants in the assessment of Russians".

The author dwells in detail on the number of Chinese migrants, as this issue is often the subject of various speculations. Some, proving the existence of "Chinese demographic expansion", talk about millions of people, others-about hundreds of thousands. According to the author, who refers to the opinions of serious experts, a reliable estimate is considered to be 200-400 thousand, maximum 500 thousand people (p. 149), and this number also includes illegal migrants, i.e. those who are in the territory of the Russian Federation without properly issued documents. At the same time, Chinese migrants in Russia are not currently a diaspora in the true sense of the word, so the author calls the Chinese community a "quasi-diaspora" (p.159), not excluding the possibility of its transformation into a real diaspora in the future. Most of the Chinese people living in Russia today are merchants - mostly small and medium-sized merchants, participants in the so-called people's trade. According to the author, "since the early 1990s, China's' people's trade ' with Russia has advanced far. The initial barter exchange was replaced by the usual commodity form of trade. A network of intermediaries began to replace the" shuttles " that dragged their goods, and then the manufacturers themselves began to sell their products. The quality of Chinese goods has improved, and their range has become much more diverse: previously, they were clothes, shoes, and hats; now, they are almost any household items, including complex electronic products" (p.160).

In the section of the monograph devoted to merchants, the author interviewed 700 Chinese migrant traders and tried to create an average portrait of them according to the following parameters: life baggage, standard of living, type of occupation, relationships with the environment, opinion about Russia, plans for the future, etc. As a result, A. G. Larin came to the conclusion that the absolute majority of migrants "consider Russia as a completely permanent field for economic activity and are ready to associate their work with it for years, if not living permanently on its territory, then at least regularly visiting it" (pp. 200-201). I will note that Chinese migrants are satisfied with the modest living conditions in which they live in Russia, "moreover, they agree to endure the humiliation and harassment that the current structure of Russian society generates in abundance" (p. 201).

In the section about Chinese workers, you will learn about their working conditions in industrial enterprises and agriculture, the difficulties they face, and problems in these areas of Russian-Chinese cooperation. In the section "Students", the author is forced to state that in the last twenty-odd years, as a result of the decline in the level of education in Russia and, consequently, its international prestige, the desire of Chinese boys and girls to study in Russia is relatively low, and in terms of the number of students from China, Russia ranks only 11th in the world (p.223). A survey of 200 Chinese students commissioned by the author allowed us to get a fairly complete picture of the conditions of their studies and everyday life, their financial situation, and their attitude towards Russians and Russia.

However, I will allow myself to argue with some of the author's statements. For example, with the fact that all Chinese students study diligently, continuing the traditions laid down by their "grandfathers" students who studied in the Soviet Union in the 1950s (p. 236). Unfortunately, this is far from the case. A certain part of Chinese students come to Russia not to study, but to earn money, so they spend most of their time in the market, and not in a university. The worst thing is that they get a diploma of higher education - because, as a rule, they study at a paid department and universities are not interested in their expulsion. When they return to China, such "specialists" discredit the Russian higher education system. It should also be borne in mind that high school graduates with a weak certificate or children from families with low earnings come to Russia to study at universities, or those who have not passed exams in Chinese universities. In addition, many Chinese students studying in Russia do not speak Russian well enough. This is explained by the fact that, unlike their "grandfathers", they usually live in dormitories separately from Russian students. It is not surprising, therefore, that the Consul General of the People's Republic of China in St. Petersburg is forced to admit: "...there are very few Chinese students who have successfully mastered both the Russian language and professional knowledge" (p.249).

A large place in the monograph is occupied by the description of the relationship of Chinese migrants with the laws of the Russian Federation. The author notes with regret the existing problems related to the activities of the Russian customs. For many of its employees, "gray customs clearance", low customs value and other tricks are business. According to A. G. Larin, " the Russian customs service, as well as other departments related to its work, are managed exclusively by citizens of the sovereign Russian Federation, who are fully able to establish there such procedures as they consider necessary. Consequently, the root of evil lies in the Russian soil, while the Chinese have nothing to do with it" (p. 264).

In the Far East, the situation with illegal economic activity has acquired its own specifics - the criminal underground is merging with the Russian and Chinese sides. Responsible employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs speak about the creation of transnational criminal groups in the Primorsky Territory. As the author states, "the modern Russian reality with its lack of jurisdiction, long-standing gaps in the law, corruption and the weakness of the government, torn apart by links and branches, opens up endless spaces for the flourishing of "complementary" bilateral crime, in fact, directly provokes it. Russia's shadow economy not only offers enticing opportunities for criminal partnerships with it; it also often forces Chinese merchants to circumvent the law... Chinese merchants who want to get back on their feet can only follow the established rules, i.e. "enter the village and honor its customs" (pp. 267-268). This is manifested in fraud with customs duties, taxes and duties, purchases of raw materials, registration of companies, as well as in the illegal export of currency, the creation of illegal travel agencies that violate the passport and visa regime.

Due to the depopulation of the population observed in the Far Eastern region of Russia, some experts propose to solve this problem by mass migration of Chinese, about 20-25 million. One of the experts, Zh. A. Zayonchkovskaya, justifies her point of view with the following argument: "The people of North-Eastern China are adapted to the Russian climate, among them there are many peasants, whom we miss so much, they already have experience working in Russia and communicating with Russians" (p. 275). E. Gaidar expressed a similar point of view: "I am convinced that Russia can play in the XXI century the same role of a world leader in the reception of migrants that America played in the XIX and XX centuries" (p.278).

A. G. Larin, like the overwhelming majority of Russian politicians and experts, considers it absolutely necessary to attract Chinese migrants for the development of the Russian economy. However, he rightly insists on the need for strict controls on migrants. "An artificial, forced change in the ethnic balance of a country can cause mass resistance, undermine the stability of the country, turn it into an arena of conflicts, paralyze the creative activity of society and even blow it up... Tensions between old and new citizens, even if not dramatic, can seriously complicate inter-State relations. It is enough to refer to the negative role played by the situation of the Russian-speaking minority in Ukraine and the Baltic states in Russia's relations with these neighbors" (p.286).

I would like to add that a massive influx of Chinese emigrants, say, to the Far East (and Eastern Siberia) may lead to a change in the ethno-demographic status of the country.

In this region, it will ultimately lead to its loss to Russia and its transition to the de facto control of China. We should not forget that in the Chinese public consciousness there is still a perception that the Far Eastern region belongs to the Chinese state, so the migration policy here should be particularly balanced. The author of the monograph does not agree with the measures proposed by supporters of mass migration of Chinese people in Russia to turn them into law-abiding citizens of Russia, since this process requires a very long time, large material costs, and their involvement in the Russian cultural universe. The latter condition is generally difficult to fulfill, given the large differences between the two civilizations - Russian and Chinese.

And one more important circumstance. Russian-Chinese economic and trade relations should not be idealized. Each state, including, of course, China, has its own national interests at the forefront. It is known that the price of gas to be delivered to China has not yet been agreed, although negotiations on this issue have been underway for several years. As A. G. Larin writes, "in May 2002, China, as soon as it became a WTO member, presented its trusted strategic partner with the requirement to' completely remove barriers to access to the services market; ensure free access of Chinese labor to Russia ' as one of the conditions for the latter's admission to this organization "(other conditions are to cancel Russian labor restrictions). export duties and sharply reduce import duties on industrial products within 2-3 years). According to Russian observers, Beijing's request turned out to be "much tougher than the demands previously put forward by the EU and the United States" (pp. 283-284). Although the Chinese side later softened its terms, the fact remains that China knows how to defend its position harshly.

The only way for the social and economic development of the Far East and Eastern Siberia is to develop an appropriate long-term program, which still does not exist. In this regard, it is good to learn from the Chinese leaders who adopted the long-term "Greater West Development Program" more than a decade ago. It has already led to significant positive changes in this once lagging region of China. Here's just one example:: The Qinghai-Tibet Railway was built in the most difficult natural and climatic conditions.

In A. G. Larin's monograph, the story of Chinese emigration in Russia is preceded by a special chapter "Chinese in Russia: a Retrospective", devoted to the history of the appearance of Chinese migrants in it. The author notes that in the 20th century, " the Chinese minority was almost 100% self-employed, i.e. it consisted of working people. Therefore, its share in the amateur population of the region was clearly more significant than in the total population. With sufficient reason, it must be assumed, "the authors of the late XIX-early XX centuries, who in one way or another wrote about the Chinese in the Russian Far East, no matter how they felt about their presence, all noted their exceptional role in the economic life of the Amur region.".. Chinese workers were not only satisfied with lower wages and the most primitive living conditions. They were also industrious, disciplined, and diligent, and were not subject to drunkenness" (pp. 27-28). At the same time, the activities of Chinese migrants also had serious shadow sides. This was manifested in the fact that, first, in the competition with the local population, they usually won the upper hand due to their better organization; secondly, they predated the natural resources of the region; thirdly, they damaged the local economy by exporting money, etc. The defeat of Russia in the war with Japan, the author points out, led to the fact that the Chinese began to believe that "they are the real owners of the region" (p.38). It is interesting to note that P. A. Stolypin also drew attention to the danger of such a situation (p.49).

A. G. Larin dwells on the use of Chinese workers in Russia during the First World War, the participation of Chinese emigrants in the Civil War, and, finally, the situation of Chinese emigration in the Soviet Union. He tells about the activities of organizations of Chinese emigrants in Soviet Russia, in particular the Union of Chinese Workers, about the service of the Chinese in the Red Army, their studies in schools of the Comintern. As the author rightly writes, "for many years after the October Revolution, the main historical content of Soviet policy in China was the promotion of the Chinese revolution, which, of course, corresponded to the state interests of Soviet Russia, but also to the interests of the Chinese people, even if there were certain discrepancies between the interests of these two parties. And if the Chinese revolutionaries-

those who "served" Soviet foreign policy in Russia, we see absolutely nothing in this for which they should be blamed and then justified" (pp. 110-111).

The monograph mentions the names of a number of Chinese students who studied in Soviet Russia and later became well-known politicians or scientists in their homeland. Here are a few of them: Deng Xiaoping, Jiang Jingguo (son of Chiang Kai-shek), and Liu Zazhong, author of the Great Chinese-Russian Dictionary, which was published under his leadership in 1960 in Shanghai. The author does not ignore the tragic pages of the history of Chinese emigration in the Soviet Union -the repressions to which many of its members were subjected in the 1930s. Some were imprisoned in prisons and camps, others were exiled, and others were shot. Thus, in 1937, Yang Mingzhai, a professional revolutionary, was shot; Guo Shaotang (S. G. Krymov), an employee of the Comintern, spent twenty years in the camp, and later a prominent Soviet scientist.

The monograph analyzes the emigration potential of China and the policy of the Chinese government towards Chinese diasporas in various countries of the world, including Russia. The author emphasizes that throughout the modern and contemporary history of China, the government of the country, regardless of who was in power at that time, has never been indifferent to the fate of Chinese emigrants, it has tried in every possible way to ease the conditions of their existence in other countries, to strengthen their ties with their ethnic homeland. The current Chinese government manages emigration processes, because " mass emigration from China in its current form, of course, is generally beneficial to the state.": it is turning into a means of modernizing the country, since it results in an influx of finance, investment, and new technologies (the latter both in kind and in the form of information), as well as an opportunity to organize a "brain circulation", which is partially converted into their leakage. We are not talking about the amounts that come to the country as family aid and charitable donations. It is also significant that emigration can reduce tensions in the domestic labor market to a certain extent" (p. 357).

In the policy of the Chinese leadership on emigration processes, the author identifies four areas: gradual liberalization of exit rules, organization of export of labor under contracts, combating illegal emigration, impact on the "brain drain" in combination with work to return them to their homeland.

Of considerable interest is the information provided in the monograph on specific measures taken in China to encourage the return to the country of scientists of Chinese origin and young professionals who have received education abroad. This is not only the provision of various material and social benefits, but also a demonstration of deep respect for them, an appeal to their patriotic feelings, the implementation of various scientific projects of an innovative nature with foreign Chinese scientists, etc. Such measures bring positive results: "According to statistics, specialists who have returned to China from abroad currently occupy a predominant position in the higher and middle echelons of scientific and teaching circles. They make up 81% of academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and 54% of academicians of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. 78% of directors of Chinese educational institutions, 63% of undergraduates and research supervisors, 72% of managers of basic educational and research centers and leading laboratories at the state and provincial levels have acquired knowledge abroad" (p. 381).

The author pays special attention to the strategic nature of the Chinese leadership's policy towards the Chinese diaspora. He sees this as a merit of the architect of Chinese reforms Deng Xiaoping, who identified cooperation with foreign Chinese as one of the main state tasks, and declared serving them the most important function of the state. In this regard, it should be noted that China has a special body for overseas Chinese affairs.

A. G. Larin's monograph is a solid scientific study based on the study of a huge number of Russian and Chinese sources; in writing it, the author used the advice and recommendations of recognized experts on this topic in China and Taiwan. In his conclusions, he relies on a large amount of statistical material collected by both other researchers and himself.

As a matter of fact, it is difficult to make any serious claims to the author of the monograph. Two comments that show more of the author's oversight than ignorance: on pages 174 and 199, Jilin Province is referred to by its old name "Jilin"; on page 132, Li Mingzhai was executed in 1937, and on page 103, the correct date of his death is 1930.

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