New Horizons: Chinese Migrants Chase Dreams in Mexico

Li Daijing left her tech job in China to help her cousin run a restaurant in Mexico City. She symbolizes a new wave of Chinese migrants seeking opportunities abroad. Amid a slowing Chinese economy and high youth unemployment, thousands are choosing Mexico for its proximity to the U.S. and burgeoning Chinese community.

Li Daijing left a lucrative tech job in China to help her cousin manage a restaurant in Mexico City, embodying a burgeoning trend among Chinese migrants seeking new opportunities abroad.

The 30-year-old from Chengdu aims to start an online business importing furniture from China, reflecting the aspirations of many new Chinese arrivals in Mexico.

In 2022, Mexico issued 5,070 temporary residency visas to Chinese immigrants, double the previous year's figures, making China the third-largest source of migrants. This trend is driven by a slowing Chinese economy, high youth unemployment, and souring relations with Western countries.

Chinese multinationals setting up shop in Mexico have further fueled this influx, attracting more educated and globally-minded individuals. As a result, Mexico City's Chinese community is flourishing, creating business and community spaces that echo their homeland.

(With inputs from agencies.)