China Policy Brief: Health, HIV and Labour Migration in the GMS

China is both a source and destination country for migration in the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS). Chinese migrants work in all GMS countries, primarily as professional or low-skilled workers employed in Chinese companies along the GMS economic corridors or as informal sector workers and small traders. From Yunnan province the largest migration is to Myanmar, with an estimated 2 million Chinese workers, followed by Laos PDR. As a destination country, China hosts migrants from all GMS countries. Yunnan province attracts a large number of migrants from Myanmar (an estimated 100,000 Burmese worked in two border towns in 2012) as well as from Viet Nam and Laos to work in agriculture, factories, construction, and trade – especially in border zones where migration is largely informal. Guangxi province attracts migrants mainly from Viet Nam in border trade zones, and increasingly other GMS countries, to work primarily in agriculture – including seasonal and processing work – and on construction projects.