Transient trade and the distribution of infrastructural knowledge

Bolivians in China

Bibliographic Data

ID6173768
AuthorsJuliane Müller (0000-0003-2126-6521, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, corresponding author)
Year2019
Volume3
Issue1
Pages15-29
Publication date2019-03-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueTransitions Journal of Transient Migration (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2397-7159 • E-ISSN: 2397-7140
PublisherIntellect (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1386/tjtm.3.1.15_1
OpenAlexW2961538538
LanguageEN
Citations received3

This article deals with transient migration of Bolivian traders and grassroots entrepreneurs to China. I trace prior experiences of traders with Asian and Chinese agents in South America to understand current transregional connections, and persistent trading practices and rationales. A growing conviction among Bolivians to travel to China and buy first-hand from factories in Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Yiwu and Shanghai on the one hand, and a cautious handling of information and contacts among them on the other, have stimulated the emergence of commercial intermediaries. Very few of the Bolivian brokers, however, have settled down in China. The trade has remained highly transient with about 6,000 Bolivian traders and agents commuting each year back and forth to China. I explore the sources and effects of this transient trade, in particular the distribution of knowledge about infrastructure, technical and legal procedures to spur the inter-continental flow of goods

Business · China · Conviction · Distribution (mathematics · Geography · Grassroots · Intermediary · International trade · Political science · China's Global Influence and Migration · Economic Zones and Regional Development · Migration, Ethnicity, and Economy · Finance

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