Media Chinese targets surge in expatriates

A new wave of Chinese diaspora is set to create fresh markets for Chinese media across south-east Asia, North America and Europe, according to the chief executive of one of the world’s biggest Chinese-language publishers.

Francis Tiong, chief executive of Media Chinese International, which has a global circulation of more than 1m for its five daily newspapers, said there is a new wave of migration from China that is driven by the younger Chinese generation.

“The younger generation is increasingly being educated overseas, and despite many doing business in China, they are sending their families overseas . . . Increasingly you have cities with Chinese populations reaching 300,000-400,000, which I think warrants a Chinese language newspaper or media,” Mr Tiong told the Financial Times.

“This Chinese migration has not been monitored very closely. How big it will eventually become will be very interesting,” he added.

Mass Chinese migration in the modern era began as early as the 19th century, but, Mr Tiong said: “What is different now is that the quality of migrants is much better. They are more affluent and better educated.”

Data on the size and growth of the overseas Chinese population is scant, but research from the Ohio University recently estimated that population to be 37m, with the majority residing in south-east Asia. According to a 2006 United Nations report, mainland China had a net emigration of nearly 400,000 people every year between 2000-2005.

Media Chinese International, created this year from a merger of the media assets controlled by Malaysian tycoon Tiong Hiew King, claims to be the biggest Chinese-language publisher outside greater China. The group includes Hong Kong-based Ming Pao Daily, Malaysia’s Sin Chew Media and Nanyang Press Holdings, and about 30 magazine titles. It distributes in Hong Kong, Canada, the US, Malaysia and Indonesia. Revenue for 2008 is expected to be $328.3m.

Mr Tiong hopes to take advantage of the new diaspora by finding partners to expand in overseas markets, such as London and Sydney. The group also plans to bolster its non-print businesses, distribute in Taiwan and expand its presence in mainland China.

“There’s no global player as yet [for Chinese-language media],” Mr Tiong said. Media Chinese International’s rivals include the pro-Beijing International Daily News, Hong Kong-based Global China Group and the Taiwanese-American World Journal. Marcel Fenez, a managing partner at PwC, the professional services firm, said there was a clear trend of content created in Asia being sold to other parts of the world. “[The overseas Chinese population] is an under-served market,” Mr Fenez said.

– By Robin Kwong

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