Balancing Control and Protection: Migration Governance in Indonesia and China

Fransiska A. Susanto; Rika Kurniaty; Patricia Audrey; Yasniar Rachmawati Madjid; Ikaningtyas; Fines Fatimah

doi:10.24843/UJLC.2026.v10.i01.p04

Authors

Fransiska A. Susanto Faculty of Law, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang, Indonesia Author
Rika Kurniaty Faculty of Law, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang, Indonesia Author
Patricia Audrey Faculty of Law, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang, Indonesia Author
Yasniar Rachmawati Madjid Faculty of Law, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang, Indonesia Author
Ikaningtyas Faculty of Law, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang, Indonesia Author
Fines Fatimah University of Debrecen, Hungary Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24843/UJLC.2026.v10.i01.p04

Keywords:

China, Indonesia, Migration Governance, Migration Policy

Abstract

Migration governance in Asia is rapidly evolving in response to the dynamic socio-economic and geopolitical conditions. Indonesia and Peoples’ Republic of China (China), as two prominent regional actors, provide instructive comparative models in term of their differing political systems and migration profiles. This article performs a comparative legal and policy analysis of migration governance in Indonesia and China, examining how each country regulates human mobility through dynamic legal and institutional frameworks. The analysis highlights Indonesia’s shift toward a protection-oriented regime, particularly following the enactment of Law No. 18 of 2017 concerning the Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers, which prioritising safe migration, gender-sensitive safeguards, and reintegration. In contrast, China adopts a centralised, development-focused approach, grounded in the Exit and Entry Administration Law of 2013 and the creation of the National Immigration Administration in 2018. The study utilises a normative and doctrinal comparative methodology, which reviews domestic legislation, policy documents, and international standards toward protection of Migrant. By contextualising both countries within broader Asian migration trends, especially ASEAN frameworks and the Belt and Road Initiative, the analysis contends that Indonesia and China are shaping state-led, rights-sensitive models of migration governance in Asia. This article lies in its identification of an emerging Asian model of migration governance in which decentralised protection and centralised administration, though institutionally different, converge in combining state control with increasing sensitivity to migrant rights.

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