Time was when many of China's elite would decide to move to another country to give their children better education. To this day, it remains the top reason for emigration, but another insiduous reason has emerged: Pollution.
According to a report from the Center for China and Globalization, a non-profit organization, the fast-deteriorating environment quality in China has prompted both professionals and affluent members of society to leave.
The center says in 2012 alone, 6,124 Chinese citizens migrated to the United States, bringing with them cash amounting to 3-6 billlion US dollars.
The emigration, the center says, has resulted in a significant outflow of wealth. It adds that the emigration of skilled professionals is likewise creating a great impact on China's "migration deficit".
According to the report, most of the Chinese emigrants were between the ages of 35 and 55, an age group that is referred to as the "mainstay of society." Many of the citizens that decide to emigrate usually occupy prominent positions in society, the report added.
The center warned that people's discontent over the present state of the environment will create and push a new wave of emigration, which could weaken China's thrust toward progress.
The center urged government to abate the outflux of its citizens by instituting reforms in education, improvements in food and air quality, along with regulations to control emigration.