Chinese migration in Chile: Border control and diplomatic conflicts (1906-1937)

Abstract

This article analyzes the Chilean government’s migration policy to control Chinese citizens’ arrival and circulation from border countries (Peru and Bolivia) at the beginning of the 20th century. Similar to what happened in other countries in the Americas, Chinese immigration provoked the first laws to control and exclude immigrants and forced the strengthening of border controls through an identification system. These efforts produced a series of bilateral tensions between Chile, Peru, and Bolivia. The study is based on the analysis of documents issued and received by the Ministry of Foreign Relations of Chile and Peru, the Municipality of Tacna, and newspapers from Lima (Peru), Santiago, Valparaíso, and Arica (Chile). We conclude that Chinese immigration in Chile shaped the borderland and gave way to the country’s first migration control measures in the early decades of the 20th century. The success of Chinese migration control was due to the efforts of various public officials and border agents who, from their positions in border cities such as Arica, or in the consulates in Asia in Hong Kong or Tokyo, aligned themselves with the wishes of the central government to restrict the entry of unwanted immigrants to the country.