Information & Chat > The Expatriate Life: Living in the FSU, Asia or Elsewhere

Is it safe to live in China

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Omega1982:
I understand that China, Russia and others are safe when it comes to violent crimes.  There's no problem walking the streets at night for you and your family.  However, the question is whether it is safe as a westerner, being British, American, Canadian, Australian, European?  I brought up this topic years ago and was assured there are no problems as long as you follow the law.  However recently we saw prisoner swaps between the west and the east and it makes you wonder where all these westerners really did break the law or not.  Any thoughts? 

Markje:

--- Quote from: Omega1982 on October 24, 2024, 08:13:54 PM ---I understand that China, Russia and others are safe when it comes to violent crimes.  There's no problem walking the streets at night for you and your family.  However, the question is whether it is safe as a westerner, being British, American, Canadian, Australian, European?  I brought up this topic years ago and was assured there are no problems as long as you follow the law.  However recently we saw prisoner swaps between the west and the east and it makes you wonder where all these westerners really did break the law or not.  Any thoughts?

--- End quote ---
Im thinking as long as you are an ordinary guy/girl that does not run afoul of the local laws. You should be fine. the prisoners that I doubt committed real crimes are all journalists or other professions that have a glancing topic with the powers-that-be. (Soldiers on vacation, Journalists, etc.)

I'm a highly skilled IT guy, my biggest problem would be them trying to recruit me activly to live in Russia voulentary.

Manny:
There are trade fairs all year long all over China. Many people visit them.

There is a huge trade with Chinese companies and Western companies, which necessitates many visits there.

There's lots of expats live in China, especially in the PRD region, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, etc. But also in other big cities, Beijing, Shanghai, etc.

There are people who don't follow the law anywhere, and if they catch you, you will be locked up. As you would anywhere.

The only people I've ever noticed who had issues were the two Youtubers Winston Sterzel and Matthew somebody. They used to have a great YouTube channel on living in China, but it changed. Most think some agency in the US turned their head and started paying them. They became political, soon had their visas revoked and got kicked out. Now they spew anti-China hate from the US with fake Chinese green screens behind them.  :chuckle:

Go to somewhere like Dongguan, there's Italian restaurants, American steak houses, and all kinds of stuff set up to cater to the Westerners who live there. If it wasn't safe, nobody would choose to live there. If you start spouting loudly about politics online will you come unstuck quickly.

andrewfi:
I was in Shanghai years ago, studying at Fudan University. I was going out all over the place, visiting businesses and factories and in the evenings
at bars and clubs. I and my roommate never felt threatened, scared or even worried.

We did interviewed by somebody, a very nice woman who was waiting for us as we entered a restaurant that we regularly visited. She was, we assumed, some form of police officer. She knew quite a bit about us but was interested in knowing more.

We were somewhat different to our student cohort, much more active and with more money - as well as being a little older than the other students. We had a fairly pleasant conversation and she insisted on paying for our meal and drinks.

These days, in the UK, if we were Chinese, with a similar profile, I'd expect that Special Branch would have a similar interest in us - but I doubt they'd buy our lunch while interviewing us.

WestCoast:

--- Quote from: Manny on October 25, 2024, 06:21:36 AM ---There are trade fairs all year long all over China. Many people visit them.

There is a huge trade with Chinese companies and Western companies, which necessitates many visits there.

There's lots of expats live in China, especially in the PRD region, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, etc. But also in other big cities, Beijing, Shanghai, etc.

There are people who don't follow the law anywhere, and if they catch you, you will be locked up. As you would anywhere.

The only people I've ever noticed who had issues were the two Youtubers Winston Sterzel and Matthew somebody. They used to have a great YouTube channel on living in China, but it changed. Most think some agency in the US turned their head and started paying them. They became political, soon had their visas revoked and got kicked out. Now they spew anti-China hate from the US with fake Chinese green screens behind them.  :chuckle:

Go to somewhere like Dongguan, there's Italian restaurants, American steak houses, and all kinds of stuff set up to cater to the Westerners who live there. If it wasn't safe, nobody would choose to live there. If you start spouting loudly about politics online will you come unstuck quickly.

--- End quote ---

The Matthew you're referring to is probably Matthew Tye aka Laowhy86 online. I doubt the CIA or other US agency started paying them to lie about China.

China is going through hard times currently. Its economy is in trouble. If as Xi Jinping has been saying China invades Taiwan by 2027 China's economy will really suck badly.

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