How does migration to China inform migration and mobilities studies?

Traditionally viewed as a migration-sending country, China's emergence as a key site of global migration flows presents an opportunity to challenge dominant frameworks of analysis in migration studies. This chapter argues for a shift away from Northern-centric perspectives to examine the evolving dynamics of migration in the Global South. By positioning China as a theoretical pivot point, the chapter explores how its distinctive socio-political and infrastructural contexts offer fertile ground for developing new conceptual approaches. These include a deeper understanding of the practices and infrastructures of movement, the purposes of mobility, and migrants’ aspirations and value orientations, with attention to their temporal and affective dimensions. This perspective not only enhances theoretical development within the field but also contributes to diversifying and decolonising migration studies.