China’s changing internal migration: patterns, causes, policy implications

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China’s massive internal migration is no longer simply rural–urban and circular but highly diversified. The project aims to unravel that transition: its patterns, causes, and effects. Using 2020 census data and major longitudinal datasets, a China variant of Zelinsky’s classic mobility transition theory will be developed and deployed to identify underlying mechanisms. Among expected outcomes are powerful methods for assessing spatio-temporal migration patterns and causes, applicable to many economies especially in the Asia–Pacific. Benefits should include a new evidence base for migration and related urban–rural policy in China; and for Australia, policy inputs to improve prosperity through better relations with our biggest trading partner.