Chinese Liberal Democrats quiz Cohesion Minister Shahid Mallick as to what he can do for the Chinese Community

11.31.00pm GMT Thu 17th Dec 2009

At a symposium jointly organised by Chinese in Britain Forum and the London School of Economics, Philip Ling, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary spokesman for Bromsgrove had the chance to share with the audience his experience as a 2nd generation British Chinese.

Philip said that though his parents were not fluent English speakers, they managed to make their living in the UK and raised children who are graduates and professionals. The current Government policy however only permits those who have passed an English test to apply to live and work in the UK. This was seen by the monitoring body, Min Quan and their legal adviser as indirect discrimination against the Chinese community.

The Cohesion Minister was put on the defensive by this and other concerns raised by the audience on the new immigration regime which are outside his remit. However he offered to meet with key members from the community after the New Year to see what help his department can offer the Chinese migrant population.

Philip Ling addresses the symposium

According to the LSE report based on a survey of 177 new Chinese migrants, the majority of those surveyed were found not to be well integrated into mainstream society, had problems accessing services and earned well below the minimum wage.

Merlene Emerson, Chair of the Chinese Liberal Democrats commented:

"We welcome the report produced by Robin Pharoah and his team at the LSE and their recommendations. The Chinese population in the UK has been growing with the influx of Mandarin speakers from mainland China joining old migrants from Hong Kong and South East Asia.

"We need to ensure that the Census in 2011 will accurately record these numbers. In the mean time we must call on existing Chinese organisations to play a more proactive role in helping those in need. Local Councils should also recognise and give support to community organisations."