As one of the smallest republics in the world, as well as the heat listed country you would expect Nauru to not have all that many immigrants, but tit turns out they not only have a checkered past when it comes to migrants, but that 10 percent of the population are from mainland China.

This has of course garnered much more interest since Nauru moved recognition from Taiwan to the Peoples Republic of China again.

Who are the Chinese of Nauru?

As a Chinese speaker I have manage to talk to most shop owners, or restaurant owners in Nauru and have deduced that almost all come from the Guangdong province. Said place also includes Guangzhou and Shenzhen, two of the largest cities in the world in their ranks.

It also borders Guangxi, where I previously had the DMZ Bar.

I have yet to work out why everyone Chinese running a shop around the world just happens to be from the same province – I digress…

What are the Chinese in Nauru doing?

Pretty much supporting the whole economy and running the shops and doing the jobs that no one see clearly wants to do. This includes convenience stores of which I have only ever found one that was not Chinese, as well as restaurants where only two are not Chinese.

Chinese food is quite literally everywhere in Nauu, although it does greatly vary in quality. My favorite would be Anibare Bay Restaurant, ironically next to Bayview Restaurant, the best non-Chinese restaurant on the island.

Will there now be an influx of Chinese in Nauru?

This is yet to be seen, but there is a big reason why Nauru have swapped Taiwan for China and that is that they need money. Infrastructure in Nauru needs a serious boots, as does the almost destroyed interior of the island.

Should China fancy some belt and road action here we may well see the welcoming of many more Chinese people rot Nauru.

You can see Nauru for yourself on our Least Visited Countries Tour.