A Study on the Social Integration of Chinese Immigrants in Cape Verde

1 Introduction

The first phase of Chinese immigration was from the early 1990s to around 2000. Chinese immigrants during this period were very sporadic, and mainly came from Europe (mainly Spain and Portugal). The second phase was from 2000 onwards, when immigrants came in large numbers directly from China. During this period, China’s economic development and the degree of mutual openness between the two countries continued to increase. More Chinese immigrants came in large numbers and directly from China to Cape Verde. In addition, the places of origin of these immigrants in China are mainly clustered in Zhejiang Province (Mota 2008) and Hebei Province. Affected by the official level, Chinese immigrants in Cape Verde show a general upward trend.

When Chinese people come to the country, integration into Cape Verdean society becomes an issue that must be faced and thought about. Considering the “Chinese shops”^[1] that are part of daily life, it is not only related to the interests of the Chinese community, but also to the interests of Cape Verdeans. In the process of interpersonal communication, Chinese immigrants reveal that they have faced problems such as language barriers, cultural differences and ethnic barriers, which have restricted the social integration of Chinese immigrants into the local society to a certain extent.

The author believes that this research topic has two meanings: first, in the social sense, it can enhance mutual understanding between Chinese immigrants and Cape Verdeans, so that these people can better integrate into the local society and strengthen social stability, so as to improve the relationship between the two ethnic nations. Second, in the academic sense, it can provide references for relevant researchers and Cape Verdean authorities in formulating public policies related to immigration.

Regarding the problem of social integration of Chinese people in Cape Verde, we have the following questions: What are the sociodemographic characteristics of the Chinese community in Cape Verde? What are the factors that facilitate or hinder the social integration of Chinese immigrants in Cape Verde?

2 Current Research Status

Li Anshan’s article “Chinese Migration in International Political Discourse: Taking Africa as an Example” cited the research of two Swedish scholars: Jørgen Carling and Heidi Østbø Haugen, who are the leading researchers in the field and were cited by the two authors mentioned above (Li 2016).

The article “How an African outpost is filled with Chinese shops” is based on the authors’ fieldwork on the island of São Vicente, Cape Verde, between 2002 and 2003. Referencing Chinese business immigration in Central and Eastern Europe, the authors analyzed the dynamics and business models of Chinese business immigration in the pioneering phase, as well as the impacts on the local market and the current market saturation and their response strategies. Some of the content involved is related to my research: labor disputes between Chinese shop owners and local employees; local employees stealing or helping their compatriots to steal; the Cape Verdean people and even some senior officials mistakenly believe that the Cape Verdean government grants preferential treatment to Chinese traders in exchange for Chinese aid; the numerous Chinese shops make Cape Verdeans believe that all Chinese have seized great wealth and crimes against them are frequent; corruption issues have led the Cape Verdean government to consider restricting Chinese immigration, etc. (Carling and Haugen 2004). These will have a certain impact on the social integration of Cape Verdean Chinese.

Two other important articles are “On the Edge of the Chinese Diaspora: The Surge of Baihuo Business in an African City” and “Mixed fates of a popular minority: Chinese migrants in Cape Verde” by Jørgen Carling and Heidi Østbø Haugen, which are also cited in the other academic articles. The first is the same article as the previous one (How an African outpost is filled with Chinese shops), just with a different name (Haugen and Carling 2005).

Building on the first article, the second article provided an overview of China’s relations with Cape Verde, focusing on recent entrepreneurial immigrants to the islands, and, based on a survey conducted in 2005, discussed why Chinese immigrants are treated more favourably in Cape Verde than in many other African countries, as well as Cape Verdeans’ positive impressions and attitudes towards the Chinese in Cape Verde. The article argues that Chinese immigrants are welcomed by the people of Cape Verde because they bring low-priced products and do not pose a threat to local industries and employment; however, at the same time, some Chinese immigrants have gained wealth in Cape Verde, which causes Cape Verdeans to doubt their common worldview (blaming their poverty on geographical boundaries), and some people even believe that Chinese immigrants have become wealthy through irregular means (preferential tax treatment), which may pose a challenge to Cape Verde’s national identity; conflicts and disputes often arise between local people and Chinese shop owners over the quality of products (Carling and Haugen 2008).

In Heidi Østbø Haugen’s article “Chinese Exports to Africa: Competition, Complementarity and Cooperation between Micro-Level Actors”, the author, through analyzing the business models of small and medium-sized enterprises and individual traders in China and African countries from a micro perspective, explained more possibilities and problems existing in trade between China and African countries. Cape Verde is a typical representative of this model. The part of the article referring to Cape Verde mentioned that Chinese entrepreneurs (also Chinese immigrants) are worried about competition and lower profits, the difference in business philosophy between Chinese and African entrepreneurs (Chinese entrepreneurs tend to have small profits but sell more), the debate on whether Chinese traders enjoy the advantage of customs clearance, the dilemma of cheap and low-quality Chinese products and other issues (Haugen 2011). All the above problems will directly or indirectly affect the social integration of Chinese in Cape Verde.

The other related article is “O quadro de cooperação sino-cabo-verdiano na era de Xi Jinping” by Jorge Tavares da Silva and João Paulo Varela. This article focuses on the analysis of China’s cooperation with Cape Verde, mentioning the frictions caused by small-scale Chinese trade in the country and that the Chinese use their strong distribution, supply and personal networks to build commercial competitiveness. Thus, they supply many low-priced products to the local market. These companies (stores) also provide some employment opportunities for locals, although they prefer to hire Chinese (often their family members) (Silva and Varela 2020).

A professor, João Pablo Madeira, in his article “O Dragão Abraça África: Relações Cabo Verde-China” affirmed the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), the Forum for Economic and Trade Co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries (Macao of Forum) ^[2] and the Belt and Road Initiative. These platforms have played a positive role in strengthening ties and cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking African countries, such as Cape Verde. At the same time, he also mentioned that Chinese immigrants who came to Cape Verde since the 1990s have diversified their commercial businesses (Madeira 2017).

Another Bentley University’s professor, João Resende-Santos, in his article “Cape Verde and its Diaspora: Economic Transnationalism and Homeland Development”, examined the historical role of the diaspora in the socio-economic development of Cape Verde. He analyzed the prospects and limitations of diasporas as a resource for transnational economic development. He mentioned Chinese immigrants, who made important contributions to the development and economic growth of their country. It was also mentioned that Cape Verde is one of the countries in the world that receives the largest amount of remittances (Resende-Santos 2015).

Professor Dr. Crisanto Barros participated as an author-consultant together with Clementina Furtado in a project called Estudo Diagnóstico-Identificação das necessidades dos imigrantes no processo de integração social em Cabo Verde, whose report, although not specifically focused on the Chinese, provides a wealth of data on the social integration of Chinese immigrants in Cape Verde. The sections such as “Sentimento de Interação (Resumo Executivo)”, “3.3 Principais Dificuldades de Adaptação à Sociedade Cabo-Verdiana”, “3.4 Dimensões da Perceção Sobre a Integração” involve some data and research results on Chinese immigrants, which played a role in assisting, supporting and comparative research for my research.

There is also a young researcher, Vinícius Venâncio de Sousa, whose doctoral thesis “Nu bem djobi vida li: mobilidades, pertencimentos e tensões da antinegritude na vida de mulheres da África continental residentes na capital cabo verdiana” and the article “ ‘Os chineses são universais, estão a invadir toda parte’: rumores e tensões acerca da presença chinesa no comércio cabo-verdiano” both involve Chinese immigrants in Cape Verde. The latter article in particular is very inspiring and useful for the author’s research. His doctoral thesis mentioned the use of “China” in Cape Verde to refer to Chinese immigrants, rumors that the Chinese in Cape Verde committed crimes due to misunderstandings and bias. The other article analyses the role that rumors created and shared by Cape Verdean businesspeople about the presence of Chinese immigrants in the country play in the construction of images that represent this group. This article explains some of the cultural customs of Chinese immigrants, as well as their business model and the resulting rumors against this group. These are important references and a basis for the author in conducting the analysis (Sousa 2024a, 2024b).

3 Recap of the History of Chinese Immigrants in Cape Verde

Although China and Cape Verde established diplomatic relations as early as 1976, due to geographical and historical reasons, Chinese people began to come to Cape Verde in large numbers in the 1990s. This was also supported by the Foreign Affairs and Borders Directorate of Cape Verde and the Chinese Embassy in Cape Verde. Between 1995 and 2000, Chinese immigration to Cape Verde reached its first peak. The flow of Chinese immigrants to Cape Verde is divided into two phases. The first phase occurred in the early 1990s, mainly from Europe (Portugal and Spain) and the Canary Islands (Spanish territories). However, some scholars have also pointed out that in the 1980s, Chinese restaurants were already emerging on the island of São Vicente in Cape Verde, providing catering services to the sailors of Asian fishing boats passing by. In addition, China’s infrastructure assistance to Cape Verde also began in the 1980s (the National Assembly Palace and the Governance Palace are two important works). The second phase is after 2000, when immigrants come directly from China. In addition, most of the Chinese who came during the second wave of immigration came from China’s Zhejiang Province. The reason for coming to Cape Verde was not only business, but also family reunion. The three-year period from 2020 to 2023 still belongs to Phase II, but the total number of Chinese immigrants fluctuates greatly. Many interviewees said that during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in the two years of 2020 and 2021, many Chinese people left Cape Verde.

Chinese immigrants are mainly engaged in commodity trading and retail industry. These industries are closely related to people’s daily lives, which explains why Chinese immigrants are considered “everywhere” by the local population. In the late 1990s, Chinese shops in Cape Verde gradually began to expand throughout the country. Especially after the signing of the “Acordo entre o Governo da República de Cabo Verde e o Governo da República Popular da China relativo ao Encorajamento e à Proteção Recíproca de Investimentos.”^[3] on April 21, 1998, the foundation for investment and trade was laid for the opening of new shops and business development in Cape Verde. In fact, unlike Sino-PALOP relations, which focus on the state level or state-owned enterprise level, relations between China and Cape Verde, outside the government level, are symbolized by the entrepreneurial activities of small businesses, which play a more important role, which is also related to its political and economic stability, as well as the national conditions of a small country, with a small population and strong purchasing power.

4 Social Integration of Chinese Immigrants in Cape Verde

4.6 Targeted and Focused Analysis

After the above-mentioned sequential analysis of the questionnaire results, the author conducted a targeted and focused analysis of the results of several relatively important questions. The results are as follows:

The first is Single Choice-Multiple Choice Analysis of questions 24 and 26. The aim is to observe the correlation between the sample’s self-judgment of the degree of integration and the factors that facilitate social integration, and whether different factors have an impact on self-judgments of the degree of integration.^[20]

As can be seen in the table above, the Single Choice-Multiple Choice Analysis is used to study the intersection relationship between the single choice question “Do you feel integrated into Cape Verdean society?” and the multiple-choice question “What factors facilitate your integration into Cape Verdean society?” It can be seen from the table that this single choice question does not present any difference between the multiple-choice questions with a total of 8 items (chi = 18.489, p = 0.618 > 0.05).

We can therefore conclude that the sample presents generalizability for the selection of factors that facilitate social integration. Therefore, the three results (“Help from Chinese relatives or friends”, “Speaks Creole well” and “help from Cape Verdean friends”) obtained from the Multiple-Choice Analysis of question 26 also present a certain universality.

Next is a Single Choice-Multiple Choice Analysis of questions 24 and 27. The aim is to observe the correlation between the sample’s self-judgment on the degree of integration and the factors that hinder social integration, and whether different factors have an impact on the judgment of the degree of integration.^[21]

As can be seen in the table above, the Single Choice-Multiple Choice Analysis to study the intersection relationship between the single choice question “Do you feel integrated into Cape Verdean society?” and the multiple-choice question “What factors facilitate your integration into Cape Verdean society?” It can be seen from the table that this single choice question does not present any difference between the multiple-choice questions with a total of 10 items (chi = 24.609, p = 0.596 > 0.05).

We can therefore conclude that the sample is generalizable for the selection of factors that hinder social integration. Therefore, the three results obtained by the Multiple-Choice Analysis in question 27 (“Language barrier”, “Cultural difference” and “Discrimination”) also present a certain universality.

In the analysis of question 26, we saw that learning the language is very important for the social integration of immigrants. Therefore, the author performed a Chi-Square Analysis on questions 26 and 29.^[22]

As can be seen in the table, the chi-square test (cross-analysis) was used to study the relationship between “Speaks Creole well (question 26)” and four items: listening comprehension, oral expression, reading comprehension and written expression (question 29). It can be observed that: the different samples do not present significance (p > 0.05) for the three items of listening comprehension, reading comprehension and written expression, which means that the different samples for the three items showed consistency and no difference. In addition, the samples present significance for one item of oral expression (p < 0.05), which means that the samples present differences for this item.

“Speaks Creole well” presents a significance level of 0.05 for oral expression (chi = 11.164, p = 0.025 < 0.05). By comparing the percentage differences, it can be seen that the proportion of “Very good” of “Marked” is 14.29 %, a value significantly higher than that of “Unmarked”, which is 8.33 %. The proportion of “Good” of “Marked” is 28.57 %, a value significantly higher than that of “Unmarked”, which is 4.17 %. The proportion of “Normal” of “Marked” is 57.14 %, a value significantly higher than that of “Unmarked”, which is 41.67 %. The proportion of “Insufficient” of “Unmarked” is 37.50 %, which was significantly higher than the proportion of “Insufficient” of “Marked”, which is 0.00 %.

In summary, it can be seen that different samples of “Speaks Creole well” do not present significant differences in the three items of “Listening comprehension”, “Reading comprehension” and “Written expression”. In addition, they present significant differences in one item of “Oral expression”.

For the same reason, the author also performed Chi-Square Analysis on questions 26 and 31.^[23]

As can be seen in the table, the Chi-square test (cross-analysis) was used to study the relationship between “Speaks Portuguese well (question 26)” and four items: listening comprehension, oral expression, reading comprehension and written expression (question 31). It can be observed that: the different samples do not present significance (p > 0.05) for the item “Listening comprehension”, which means that the different samples for the item presented consistency and no difference. In addition, the samples present significance for the items of oral expression, reading comprehension and written expression (p < 0.05), which means that the samples present differences for “Oral expression”, “Reading comprehension” and “Written expression”.

“Speaks Portuguese well” has a significance level of 0.01 for oral expression (chi = 11.666, p = 0.009 < 0.01). By comparing the percentage differences, it can be seen that the “Good” proportion of “Marked” is 60.00 %, a value significantly higher than that of “Unmarked”, which is 6.06 %. The “Normal” proportion of “Unmarked” is 30.30 %, which is significantly higher than the “Normal” proportion of “Marked”, which is 20.00 %. The “Insufficient” proportion of “Unmarked” is 27.27 %, which was significantly higher than the “Insufficient” proportion of “Marked”, which is 20.00 %. The proportion of “Nothing” of “Unchecked” is 36.36 %, which is significantly higher than the proportion of “Nothing” of “Checked” which is 0.00 %.

“Speaks Portuguese well” has a significance level of 0.05 for reading comprehension (chi = 11.697, p = 0.020 < 0.05). By comparing the percentage differences, it can be seen that the proportion of “Good” of “Marked” is 60.00 %, a value significantly higher than the proportion of “Good” of “Unmarked”, which is 6.06 %. The proportion of “Insufficient” of “Unmarked” is 33.33 %, which was significantly higher than the proportion of “Insufficient” of “Marked”, which is 20.00 %. The proportion of “Nothing” of “Unmarked” is 33.33 %, significantly higher than the proportion of “Nothing” of “Marked”, which is 0.00 %.

“Speaks Portuguese well” has a significance level of 0.01 for written expression (chi = 15.635, p = 0.001 < 0.01). By comparing the percentage differences, it can be seen that the proportion of “Good” of “Marked” is 60.00 %, a value significantly higher than the proportion of “Good” of “Unmarked”, which is 3.03 %. The proportion of “Insufficient” of “Unmarked” is 33.33 %, which is significantly higher than the proportion of “Insufficient” of “Marked”, which is 20.00 %. The proportion of “Nothing” of “Unmarked” is 39.39 %, a value significantly higher than the proportion of “Nothing” of “Marked”, which is 0.00 %.

In summary, it is clear that different samples of “Speaks Portuguese well” will not present significant differences in the item of “Listening comprehension”. In addition, samples present significant differences in the three items of “Oral expression”, “Reading comprehension” and “Written expression”.

Next, we used the data collected in the questionnaire to construct and analyze the Social Integration Assessment Indexes.

For a theoretical concept as broad and abstract as Social Integration, it must be transformed into specific variables that can be measured and operated in research. This paper, by measuring the integration indexes (as dependent variables) of the three dimensions of Economic Adaptation, Social Adaptation and Cultural Adaptation, a detailed understanding of the Degree of Social Integration in these three dimensions was obtained. The three values ​​of the three indexes range from [0, 100]. The higher the score, the higher the Degree of Integration.

The data used to construct these three indices also comes directly from the questionnaire. The questions in the questionnaire were divided into four parts: the questions in the second part (Group II Professional Characteristics) are strongly related to the Economic Adaptation index of immigrants; the questions in the third part (Group III Immigration Status) are strongly related to the Social Adaptation index of immigrants; some of the questions in the fourth part (Group IV Social Integration) are strongly related to the Cultural Adaptation index of immigrants. In the three corresponding indexes, the author used all (or part) of the questions in each group as sub-index (each sub-index counts 20 points, a total of 5 sub-indices, which count for 100 points) and measured through statistical software to obtain the degree of Social Integration in the three dimensions, the statistical results of which are shown in the graph below.^[24]

As can be seen from the graph, the Economic Adaptation Index score is 66.312, the Social Adaptation Index score is 53.16, and the Cultural Adaptation Index score is 26.73. According to the Correspondence Table between Social Integration Assessment and Degree of Social Integration, the degrees of integration in these three dimensions are “Partially”, “Partially” and “Hardly” respectively. If we further take the average of these three index scores, it is 48.559, that is, the degree of integration is “Hardly”.

The above results are basically consistent with the results of Frequency Analysis in question 24 (Do you feel integrated into Cape Verdean society?), that is, most of the samples are “partially integrated”. At the same time, Economic Adaptation had the highest score (66.312), which is consistent with the result of Multiple-Choice Analysis in question 25 (What were the reasons for choosing Cape Verde as a destination?), that is, the main reason for Chinese immigrants to come to Cape Verde is to work or earn a living. This shows that “economy (employment)”, as the main motivation for immigration, is also the aspect with the highest degree of integration. In contrast, Cultural Adaptation has the lowest score (26.73), which is consistent with the result of the Multiple-Choice Analysis of question 27 (What factors hinder your integration into Cape Verdean society?), that is, the main factors that hinder the integration of Chinese immigrants into Cape Verdean society are “Language barrier” and “Cultural difference”. This shows that “Cultural Adaptation” is a weakness in the social integration of Chinese immigrants. Furthermore, what caught my attention is that “Discrimination” is also one of the main hindering factors, which we will discuss in detail in the subsequent section of the qualitative research.

5 Final Considerations

In this article, with the aim of studying the Social Integration of Chinese Immigrants in Cape Verde, I conducted an investigation through, in principle, a field study, using a quantitative research method. The article reviews the corresponding history of Chinese immigrants arriving in Cape Verde; summarizes the sociodemographic characteristics of this immigrant group as well as the general situation of their social integration.

The creation of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) played an important role in motivating the arrival of immigrants. This may explain why in the immigration statistics of the National Institute of Statistics of Cape Verde (INE) over the years, immigrants from the African continent (especially from West Africa) have always represented the majority. However, referring to the number of Chinese immigrants, the author considers that the data provided by the National Institute of Statistics of Cape Verde (INE) are not very accurate. This may be due to the fact that the part of the census involving Chinese immigrants was not conducted with complete success. Overall, the statistics on the Chinese people in the report of the National Institute of Statistics of Cape Verde (INE) are becoming increasingly detailed, which at least shows that for the relevant government authorities in Cape Verde, Chinese immigrants are a community worthy of attention among all foreign ethnic nations. The year 2000 can be considered, roughly speaking, as the dividing point of the wave of Chinese immigration to Cape Verde. The first phase began in the 1990s, during which most people moved from Europe to Cape Verde. Comparing China-Cape Verde relations and the trajectory of Chinese immigrants in Cape Verde, we can see that the rapid development of bilateral relations and trade between the two countries is almost synchronized with the flow of Chinese immigrants to Cape Verde. Unlike some countries on the African continent where Chinese companies and Chinese-funded institutions are clustered, Chinese immigrants in Cape Verde have strong characteristics of a “small commercial entrepreneur” and are more independent. This characteristic means that although their dependence on the relationship status between the two countries is not as high as that of large companies in Africa, they are greatly affected by bilateral trade policies and tax policies. To put it bluntly, if trade policies are favorable and they can earn more money, more immigrants will come and operate in Cape Verde in the long term, but on the contrary, there will be a loss of immigrants.

Chinese immigrants in Cape Verde have their own Sociodemographic Profile, and the main conclusions drawn from the questionnaire are as follows: immigrants are mostly male (63.16 %) and the age range is concentrated in the 31–40 years old (50 %); domestic origins in China are relatively concentrated (Zhejiang and Hebei), and the immigrant community is concentrated on Santiago Island (Praia); most people are married (68.41 %) and rent a house (71.05 %) with their spouse (57.89 %) and most have two children (41.11 %) who are in China (92.59 %); the ethnic composition is unified (Han ethnicity) and most have no religious beliefs (57.89 %); most are private property owners (65.79 %) and participate in company insurance (63.16 %), but are not willing to disclose specific income (57.89 %), etc.

Regarding the situation of Social Integration, based on the results of a series of data from the Quantitative Survey, it is concluded that the Social Integration of the Chinese community is “Partially” or even “Hardly”. This result is also mutually confirmed by the results of some questions in the questionnaire. For example, most people (47.37 %) have lived in Cape Verde for a short time (1–5 years), and only have Temporary Residence (55.26 %) and none of the respondents have plans to acquire Cape Verdean citizenship. Regarding the social integration of Chinese immigrants in Cape Verde, the author leaves the following suggestions for reference only.

For the immigrant nations themselves, the first is to regulate their own behavior. Carrying out initiatives within the Chinese community to regulate their own behavior is an important measure taken by the immigrant nations to better integrate into the local society. Among these, various organizations, associations and other civil entities should play an important role in formulating and promoting these initiatives. The second is to actively fulfill social responsibilities. There is a saying in China that “take from the people, use for the people”. If they really want to integrate into the local society, they should “take from Cape Verde and use for Cape Verde”, actively fulfilling social obligations and contributing to local development. Including but not limited to hiring local employees as much as possible, increasing their employment, and carrying out social welfare activities to help local needy and vulnerable nations. The third is to increase cultural exchange. In order to further improve the local people’s understanding of the Chinese and develop new ways of integration into the local society, the Chinese community should organize and participate in more cultural activities to create opportunities for the Chinese community and other nations to communicate with each other and improve understanding.

“We should organize more cultural activities to promote Chinese culture and let more local people understand their way of life, such as ‘One Minute Chinese’,^[25] the cultural classes of the Confucius Institute at the University of Cape Verde, the ‘Chinese Cultural Week’,^[26] etc. For example, Cape Verdeans may not understand why the Chinese zodiac animals, the snake and the dragon, represent good luck and peculiarity, because these two animals are evil in Western culture. Therefore, promoting these cultures is very necessary.”^[27]

Relevant Chinese groups or individuals should organize some solidarity and fundraising activities to care for vulnerable groups in society, especially when natural or man-made disasters occur, so as to establish a positive image of the Chinese people. Treat local officials in a friendly and equal manner in accordance with local laws and regulations and increase humanitarian care within an appropriate scope.^[28]

When the interests of the Chinese people in Cape Verde are violated, both individuals and various communities and organizations should play a role in actively safeguarding their rights and interests through legal and reasonable means to ensure that immigrant nations enjoy the respect and social status they deserve in Cape Verde.

Individually, when in contact with the local population, we must respect each other and communicate on an equal footing, while at the same time being aware of self-protection. When faced with a robbery, remain as calm and collected as possible to avoid conflict and serious losses.^[29]

“Due to historical reasons (such as colonization), local people have a high degree of respect for Europeans and Americans, but the inherent impression of ‘soft and easy-going’ formed by the Chinese group is difficult to change in the short term. In addition, the degree of internal unity of the Chinese people needs to be improved, so that when the interests of the group are threatened, they can unite externally. In addition, due to the weakness of the Chinese people’s character who want to avoid disasters and make peace with others, many Chinese choose to tolerate it when they suffer losses. All this needs to change.”^[30]

Judging from the current situation, the social integration of Chinese immigrants in Cape Verde into the local society has achieved some results, which has deepened the local society’s understanding of Chinese immigrant nations. However, there is still a long way to go before they can truly integrate into the local society. “Friendship, which derives from close contact between the people, holds the key to sound state-to-state relations.”^[31] The development of China-Africa relations depends on the exchanges between the Chinese and African peoples, and this depends to a large extent on the development of relations between Chinese immigrants and local ethnic nations. For Chinese immigrants in Cape Verde, better social integration into the local society is not only related to their own development, but also closely related to the development of China-Cape Verde relations and even the overall development of China-Africa relations. However, as it turns out, the true integration of Chinese immigrants in Cape Verde is not only a continuous and long-term process, but also a process that requires the joint efforts of individuals, associations, communities and the government. The author believes that with unremitting efforts from all parties, in the near future, Chinese immigrants in Cape Verde will better integrate into the local society and maintain a good trend of sustainable development (Figures 1–37).

Figure 1:

Result of Q1-your gender. Source: own elaboration (2023).

Figure 2:

Result of Q2-your age range. Source: own elaboration (2023).

Figure 3:

Result of Q4-your place of residence in Cape Verde. Source: own elaboration (2023).

Figure 4:

Result of Q5-your martial status. Source: own elaboration (2023).

Figure 5:

Result of Q6-your housing situation. Source: own elaboration (2023).

Figure 6:

Result of Q7-who do you live with? Source: own elaboration (2023).

Figure 7:

Result of Q8-do you have children? How many? Source: own elaboration (2023).

Figure 8:

Result of Q9-where are your children located? Source: own elaboration (2023).

Figure 9:

Result of Q10-what is your ethnicity? Source: own elaboration (2023).

Figure 10:

Result of Q11-are you religious? Source: own elaboration (2023).

Figure 11:

Result of Q12-what is your educational background? Source: own elaboration (2023).

Figure 12:

Result of Q13-what is your employment status? Source: own elaboration (2023).

Figure 13:

Result of Q14-what is the nature of your work? Source: own elaboration (2023).

Figure 14:

Result of Q15-do you participate in social security (INPS)? Source: own elaboration (2023).

Figure 15:

Result of Q16-how many times have you worked in Cape Verde? Source: own elaboration (2023).

Figure 16:

Result of Q17-what is your monthly income? Source: own elaboration (2023).

Figure 17:

Result of Q18-where did you live before coming to Cape Verde? Source: own elaboration (2023).

Figure 18:

Result of Q19-where is your motivation for coming to Cape Verde? Source: own elaboration (2023).

Figure 19:

Result of Q20-how long have you lived in Cape Verde? Source: own elaboration (2023).

Figure 20:

Result of Q21-what VISA did you have when you first came to Cape Verde? Source: own elaboration (2023).

Figure 21:

Result of Q22-what VISA do you currently have? Source: own elaboration (2023).

Figure 22:

Result of Q23-are you planning to acquire Cape Verdean citizenship? Source: own elaboration (2023).

Figure 23:

Result of Q24-do you feel integrated into Cape Verdean society? Source: own elaboration (2023).

Figure 24:

Result of Q25-what were the reasons for choosing Cape Verde as a destination? Source: own elaboration (2023).

Figure 25:

Result of Q26-what factors facilitate your integration into Cape Verdean society? Source: own elaboration (2023).

Figure 26:

Result of Q27-what factors hinder your integration into Cape Verdean society? Source: own elaboration (2023).

Figure 27:

Result of Q28-have you taken Creole courses? Source: own elaboration (2023).

Figure 28:

Result of Q29-self-assessment of your Creole Source: own elaboration (2023).

Figure 29:

Result of Q30-have you taken Portuguese courses? Source: own elaboration (2023).

Figure 30:

Result of Q31-self-assessment of your Portuguese Source: own elaboration (2023).

Figure 31:

Result of Q32-what do you do in your free time in Cape Verde? Source: own elaboration (2023).

Figure 32:

Result of Q33-what do you usually engage in the above activities with? Source: own elaboration (2023).

Figure 33:

Result of Q34-what aspects of Cape Verde attract you? Source: own elaboration (2023).

Figure 34:

Bar chart of the Chi-square analysis (cross-analysis) of questions 26 and 29 in the term of speaks creole well & oral expression. Source: own elaboration (2023).

Figure 35:

Bar chart of the Chi-square analysis (cross-analysis) of questions 26 and 31 in the term speak portuguese well & oral expression. Source: own elaboration (2023).

Figure 36:

Bar chart of the Chi-square analysis (cross-analysis) of questions 26 and 31 in the term speak portuguese well & reading comprehension. Source: own elaboration (2023).

Figure 37:

Bar chart of the Chi-square analysis (cross-analysis) of questions 26 and 31 in the term of speaking portuguese well & written expression. Source: own elaboration (2023).