East Asians in the United Kingdom

East Asians in the United Kingdom are East Asians living in the United Kingdom. They have been present in the country since the 17th century and primarily originate from countries and territories such as Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, China, and Taiwan. They are called "East Asian" or "Oriental", although – dependent upon the context – the use of the term "Oriental" might be considered by some to be derogatory or offensive.[6][7] In the 2001 British census, the term Chinese or Other is used.

See also: British Asians and Southeast Asians in the United Kingdom

East Asians in the United Kingdom

Total population
Over. 600,000 1.1% of the UK population Chinese - 466,000[1] Hongkonger - 96,445[2] Japanese - 63,017[3] Korean - 44,749[4] Other East Asians - Unknown All figures except the Chinese, Japanese and Korean communities are from the 2001 UK Census, with that country as a reported birthplace (i.e. doesn't include British born people of East Asian origin)
Regions with significant populations
London, Belfast, Liverpool, Manchester, Oxford, Cambridge, Glasgow, Edinburgh
Languages
Cantonese - 44,404 Mandarin Chinese - 22,025 all other Chinese - 141,052 Japanese - 27,764 Korean - 15,218 all other East Asian languages - 11,914 Number of speakers in England & Wales as a main language, of all usual residents aged 3 and over, from the 2011 census[5]
Religion
Buddhism, Christianity, East Asian religions, Islam, Non-religious, others
Related ethnic groups
Asians

In the 2001 Census, East Asians were included in the "Asian or Asian British" grouping in England and Wales, and in the "Asian, Asian Scottish or Asian British" grouping in Scotland.[8] The 2011 Census questionnaire grouped East Asians under a broad "Asian/Asian British" ("Asian, Asian Scottish or Asian British" in Scotland) heading in all parts of the UK.[9]

Population history

East Asian Britons are generally viewed as a distinct ethnic group or identity,[10] and have been academically studied as such.[11] The first settlement of Chinese people in the United Kingdom dates from the early 19th century. In particular were port cities such as Liverpool and London; particularly the Limehouse area in East London. Today, most of the British Chinese are people or are descended from people who were themselves overseas Chinese when they entered the United Kingdom. The majority are from former British colonies, such as Hong Kong, Malaysia, Burma, Singapore, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and also other countries such as Vietnam. People from mainland China and Taiwan and their descendants constitute a relatively small proportion of the British Chinese community. Hong Kong people in the United Kingdom are people from Hong Kong resident in the United Kingdom, or British nationals of Hong Kong origin. At the time of the 2001 British census, 96,000 people born in Hong Kong were residing in the UK, while 2009 estimates suggest that 78,000 Hong Kong-born people are resident in the UK.

The first Japanese settled in the 1960s, mainly for business and economic purposes. In recent decades this number has been growing; including immigrants, students, and businessmen. Parts of the United Kingdom, in particular London, have significant Japanese populations; such as Golders Green and East Finchley North London. There are approximately 100,000 British Japanese, mostly settled in London and the surrounding South East.

Large numbers of South Koreans began to settle in the U.K. in the 1980s, mostly near London; the highest concentration can be found in the town of New Malden, where estimates of the South Korean population range from 8,000 to as high as 20,000 people.[12][13][14] There are also a few North Koreans; they form the ninth-largest national group of asylum seekers, with a total of 850 applicants, including 245 applications in the first seven months of the year alone, thirteen times the number in all of 2007.[15]

Subgroups

• East Asians
  • Chinese
  • Mongolians
  • Japanese
  • Koreans
  • Hongkonger

Notable people

• Nat Wei, Baron Wei, writing for The Telegraph in 2012, described himself as the only East Asian person politically involved in Westminster.[16]

See also

• Southeast Asians in the United Kingdom
• Asian Americans
• Asian Canadians
• Asian Australians
• Asian New Zealanders
• British Asian

References

1. "Chinese in England in 2006". neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk.
2. 2001 census
3. "Japan-UK relations". Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. October 2009. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
4. 재외국민/단체 (Overseas citizens/groups). Seoul, South Korea: Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. 2013. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
5. "Main Language in England & Wales by Proficiency in English 2011". Office for National Statistics. 2011. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
6. Verkaik, Robert (13 May 2004). "Judges given new advice on political correctness". The Independent. Retrieved 20 August 2010.
7. "Language matters: the vocabulary of racism in health care". Journal of Health Services Research & Policy. 10 (1): 57–59. 2005. doi:10.1258/1355819052801769.
8. "A guide to comparing 1991 and 2001 Census ethnic group data" (PDF). Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
9. "Ethnic group". Office for National Statistics. 2 November 2011. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
10. "Volume 2", Hastings International and Comparative Law Review, Hastings College of the Law: University of California, 1979, p. 350, Despite the large number of East Asians in England, and their frequent appearance as parties and as counsel before immigration tribunals, there is no immigration adjudicator of East Asian origin.
11. Górak-Sosnowska, Katarzyna (2019). "Veronika Bajt: The Muslim Other in Slovenia". Muslims in Poland and Eastern Europe. Widening the European Discourse on Islam. Faculty of Oriental Studies: University of Warsaw. p. 195. In opposition to Muslim populations of Turks in Germany, East Asians in Britain or Africans in France, who linguistic and "cultural" differences are often argued to be insurmountable
12. Yi, David (19 July 2008). "Livin' in London". KoreAm Journal. Archived from the original on 17 June 2011. Retrieved 10 September 2008.
13. Benedictus, Leo (21 January 2005). "'This restaurant is a little bit of Korea brought into a very English town': Koreans in New Malden". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 10 September 2008.
14. Marlow, Peter (2006). "Occupational Health and Safety Factors in the Korean Community" (PDF). United Kingdom: Health and Safety Executive, Department for Work and Pensions. Retrieved 10 September 2008. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
15. Jang, Yong-hun (25 July 2008). "英, 한국 국적 탈북자 추방 방침: RFA (U.K. North Korean refugees with South Korean nationality to be expelled: Radio Free Asia)". Yonhap News. Retrieved 10 September 2008.
16. Lord Wei (26 February 2012). "Building bridges with East Asia will benefit the UK and promote trade". The Daily Telegraph. n Westminster it's just me at the moment. Strange, given that there are over a million East Asians in the UK alone

External links

• BORN ABROAD, An Immigration Map of Britain, BBC News.