Theorising the Role of Diaspora in Sino-Nigerian Relations: A Multi-Sited Transnationalism Framework

The Chinese diaspora in Nigeria and the Nigerian diaspora in China constitute bilateral transnational communities whose roles in shaping commercial, cultural, and political dimensions of Sino-Nigerian relations have been only partially theorised. This study develops an original multi-sited transnationalism framework for understanding diaspora roles in Sino-Nigerian bilateral relations, drawing on transnationalism theory, migration studies, and China-Africa relations scholarship. A multi-sited ethnographic methodology was employed, with fieldwork conducted in three Nigerian cities (Lagos, Kano, and Port Harcourt) and two Chinese cities (Guangzhou and Yiwu) over twelve months. Research participants included 80 Chinese residents in Nigeria, 60 Nigerian residents in China, 20 Nigerian return migrants from China, and 20 institutional informants from commercial associations and diplomatic missions in both countries. Original theoretical contributions include a Diaspora Triangulation Model that conceptualises how diaspora communities operate as simultaneous bridges, barriers, and brokers in bilateral relations, performing different relational functions depending on their institutional position, temporal orientation, and transactional domain. The concept of asymmetric transnationalism is developed to describe how the structural power differential between China and Nigeria produces qualitatively different forms of transnational engagement for Chinese in Nigeria compared to Nigerians in China. The framework contributes to transnationalism theory by grounding it in the South-South migration context and provides an analytical template for studying diaspora in other Africa-China bilateral relationships.

Keywords: diaspora transnationalism, Sino-Nigerian relations, multi-sited ethnography, bilateral relations, migration theory