Newcomers, Old-timers, Under Borderless Integration: A Case Study of New Chinese Immigrants in the Phitsanulok Province of Northeast Thailand

is research is to canvass how China s foreign policy was introduced to integrate overseas Chinese, including old-timers (ethnic Chinese individuals with Thai nationality) and newcomers (legitimate Chinese immigrants from mainland China who have not yet obtained Thai nationality) in order to strengthen the state s soft power.The borderless integration is a new term created by author based on national integration theory, indicates to a process of integration that is not restricted by national borders.Borderless integration is constructed from three pillars: culture building, education, and social media.First, cultural building is to propagate Confucianism in overseas to enhance the state s soft power.Second, education refers to the use of Confucius Institutes to enhance overseas Chinese education and the in uence of Chinese language.ird, social media refers to the use of a unique social software to enhance the connection between the state and immigrant individuals as to achieve the purpose of borderless integration.e case study focuses on the eldwork we had been doing at the Xingmin School in Phitsanulok based on the information given by di erent interviewees.What new unexpected, but later found out, was that the old-timers have been using a neutrality policy to avoid sensitive topic when facing the borderless integration.