This book is the first to systematically examine Chinese refugee law and policy. It provides in-depth legal and policy analysis and makes recommendations to relevant stakeholders, drawing upon not only existing legal and policy scholarships but also empirical information acquired through field visits and interviews with refugees, former refugees, and staff of governmental and non-governmental organisations working with displaced population. It is a timely response to rapidly growing international interest in and demand for information about Chinese and Asian approaches to refugee protection in academia and the policy sector.

‘It can be very difficult, at the best of times, to penetrate the often intricate network of interacting policies, practices and laws which will determine who gets asylum protection in any one country and who does not. China's system is a particular case in point. Lili Song, through her assiduous research and clear understanding of what it can mean to go down the asylum road in China, has made a significant contribution to demystifying the decision-making processes, clarifying constraints and understanding how they play out in the broader international and regional contexts. An insightful and very worthwhile piece of scholarship.’Erika Feller, University of Melbourne

'China’s asylum policy is a conundrum. It is a long-time party to the Refugee Convention that received some 300,000 Vietnamese refugees during the 1970s and still tolerates a robust protection regime in Hong Kong. Yet China has no formal asylum procedure, receives only a trickle of protection requests, and stands accused of refoulement of North Korean and other refugees. Lili Song’s historical and policy analysis is a welcome first look at how this legal regime evolved, and where it is headed.’James C. Hathaway, University of Michigan

‘Despite China's mounting influence on the international stage and its growing engagement with international humanitarian and human rights issues, the country's refugee law and policy have never been the subject of a comprehensive and systematic analysis. This volume fills that major gap in an admirable manner, providing an incisive account of the Chinese perspective on refugee issues, both globally and in the Asian context.’Jeff Crisp, University of Oxford and Chatham House

'As Dr Song explains in this book, China has a long and varied experience with refugees, including the Indochinese crisis in the 1970s and 1980s, and more recently from North Korea and Myanmar. A little-known fact is that China has been a party to the Refugee Convention since 1982. This book provides unique and informed insights into China’s response to refugee issues nationally, and as a regional and global actor. It includes contemporary accounts of the responses of the two Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macau.’Susan Kneebone, University of Melbourne