In a world where migration continually reshapes national boundaries and systems of social obligations, diaspora philanthropy has emerged as a critical yet underexplored force in global development. As public aid budgets shrink and traditional development financing faces mounting pressure, the philanthropic potential of migrant and diaspora communities, whose remittances already surpass global Official Development Assistant (ODA), has become increasingly significant.
Yet, diaspora giving remains difficult to quantify and study, partly due to a preference for privacy and the blurred boundaries between personal remittances and charitable contributions. Moreover, while there is growing attention on the international expansion of Chinese NGOs, far less has been written about Chinese civil society organisations that originate from, and are embedded in, diasporic contexts.
This article examines the Qiaoai Association in Italy (意大利“侨爱”慈善协会 – Associazione Qiaoai in Italia) as a case study to explore the giving practices of the Italian overseas Chinese community and to understand evolving forms of transnational identity and civic participation. The analysis draws on an in-depth interview with the association’s current president, Ms. Zhou Shufeng (周淑芬), informal conversations with Chinese officials during fieldwork in Qingtian (青田县) in July 2025, and reports from Italian and Chinese-language media. Qiaoai’s activities illustrate how diaspora philanthropy shapes new geographies of belonging, positioning giving as both an economic and emotional bridge between home and host societies.
A Chinese Charity from Italy
Among the 23 Chinese civil society associations listed on the official website of the Chinese community in Rome, Qiaoai is the only organisation founded explicitly for charitable purposes. While most overseas Chinese organisations focus on trade promotion or cultural exchange—reflecting the entrepreneurial character of overseas Chinese life in Italy [a] —— Qiaoai centres its work on supporting vulnerable individuals and promoting the common good through material and financial assistance in both Italy and China.
Established in Rome in 2015 by its first president Hu Aifen (胡爱芬), a Swiss-based Chinese community leader, Qiaoai’s inauguration was attended by Chinese embassy officials, Italian government representatives, and Chinese community leaders from across the country. Today, the association’s decentralised membership includes 240 Chinese entrepreneurs across Europe, particularly in Italy, Germany, and the Netherlands. Many trace their roots to Wenzhou and its surrounding counties in Zhejiang Province, one of China’s most prominent Qiaoxiang (侨乡), or “hometowns of overseas Chinese.”
Moral Economies of Giving
Local governments in qiaoxiang regions work closely with branches of the “All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese” (侨联 Qiaolian; hereafter Federation), established by the Communist Party of China in 1949 to foster ties with overseas Chinese and mobilise diasporic resources. Although the Federation remains less visible in North America, the Wenzhou–Europe connection tells a different story: local branches actively cultivated relationships with overseas donors to channel investments and donations back home.
Many qiaoxiang regions are historically resource-poor mountain areas that have long depended on emigrants’ remittances and charitable contributions to fund public projects. China’s recent economic slowdown has heightened local officials’ engagement with diaspora networks, particularly amid concerns that remittances may decline over time due to aging overseas communities and weakening ties among younger generations.
Since assuming the presidency of Qiaoai in 2023, Ms. Zhou has travelled annually to Zhejiang in collaboration with local Federations to visit welfare programs and deliver donations. In June 2025 alone, Qiaoai donated more than USD 70,000 to the city of Ruian (瑞安市), Wencheng County (文成县), Yongjia County (永嘉县) and Ouhai District (瓯海区), supporting poverty alleviation, elderly care, and scholarships for students from low-income families.
Qiaoai has also responded to crises outside its ancestral region. In January 2024, it donated USD 25,000 to disaster relief in Gansu Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture (甘肃临夏州积石山) and in early 2025, nearly USD 40,000 was collected to support recovery efforts following a magnitude 6.8 earthquake in Tibet. By extending its philanthropic reach beyond Zhejiang, Qiaoai is evolving from a hometown charity into a wider philanthropic actor in China.
For many first-generation Wenzhounese entrepreneurs in Europe, giving back is both a moral obligation and a social expectation: “once you succeed, you should help others too.” Philanthropy is deeply rooted in a moral economy of reciprocity and reputation, where business success entails responsibility toward one’s hometown, and donations help strengthen guanxi networks that may later [2.1]facilitate commercial exchanges with China.
However, for the generation born and raised in Europe, emotional and cultural ties to the ancestral homeland are far more tenuous – often little more than a family story. Whether they will continue their parents’ philanthropic engagement with hometown development remains uncertain, as they negotiate identities that transcend national boundaries.
Building Bridges with Italian Caritas
While Qiaoai’s engagement in China reflects enduring moral ties to the homeland, its collaboration with Caritas in Rome signals its integration into Italy’s civic fabric. Established in 1971 under Catholic social teaching, Caritas is not simply a charitable organisation, it is synonymous with charity in the Italian public imagination. With more than 200 diocesan branches, Caritas promotes human dignity and social justice by supporting the most marginalised.
Qiaoai’s partnership with Caritas began soon after Qiaoai was founded. Though modest in scale, the collaboration supports underprivileged families and students in Rome, particularly through donations of school supplies, food, and winter necessities. Reflecting on her most memorable experience at Qiaoai, Zhou recalled a joint delivery with Caritas:
“Many Italians didn’t know that the Chinese engaged in charity. When they saw it, they were deeply moved.”
Such interactions help counter stereotypes of Chinese diaspora as insular and profit-driven, perceptions that had intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic. By embedding itself in Italy’s charitable landscape, Qiaoai cultivateds new trust networks that bridgeand bridges ancestral moral economies with civic diplomacy in its host country.
Whither Diaspora Philanthropy?
Qiaoai’s hybrid model of giving reshapes the notion of “home” through philanthropic engagement across national boundaries. Unlike patterns in parts of Southeast Asia, where first-generation migrants tended to primarily donate only to their hometowns, Wenzhou entrepreneurs in Europe maintain dual loyalties, balancing social investments in both their ancestral homeland and their adopted society.
The rapid naturalisation of second and third generation Chinese in Europe, however, may shift philanthropic motivations. As younger generations develop a stronger European civic identity, their giving may increasingly align with local causes. While Zhou acknowledges that Qiaoai’s current scale remains modest, the professionalisation of overseas Chinese businesses and civic engagement in Europe suggests that philanthropy may become more institutionalised, strategic, and integrated into European civil society.
Looking ahead, the key question remains: will diaspora philanthropy endure as a transnational practice, or gradually localise? For Chinese and Wenzhou policymakers, maintaining these transnational networks will require new approaches to foster belonging and responsibility among younger generations. As acts of giving continue to redraw the boundaries of home, the sustainability of Chinese diaspora philanthropy will depend on preserving shared geographies of belonging.
This study’s findings are limited by the scope of the research and the fieldwork undertaken.
Amanda Chen is an Italian-born Chinese whose family traces its roots to Qingtian—one of Zhejiang Province’s most well-known qiaoxiang (hometowns of overseas Chinese). A graduate of Sciences Po Paris and Peking University, she researches the intersections of geopolitics, global philanthropy, and the evolving role of civil society in shaping these transnational dynamics.
a. I preferred maintaining “overseas Chinese life in Italy” as it differentiates my community from new waves of Chinese migration (mostly university students) hailing from all parts of China. For now at least, “overseas Chinese” in Italy is still a term referring exclusively to the Wenzhounese community. As per “life” instead of “migration”, it’s because many did not come with the objective of becoming entrepreneurs but were forced to do so because of regulatory and language constrains.
