There is no 'yellow peril' for Italy. But the alarm was raised by Italian press reports that large numbers of Chinese had arrived in Serbia, many of them on direct scheduled flights to Belgrade, and were planning to cross into Italy in search of work. La Repubblica quotes Italian intelligence sources as saying that there are Chinese illegal immigrants in Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia, and Slovenia, and their final destination is either Italy, or Germany.
Immigration is an explosive political issue in Italy.
Patrolling the country's long coastline in an attempt to intercept boatloads of North Africans, Albanians, Russians, or Turks has become a major challenge for the Italian border police. Opposition parties, playing on popular fears, routinely criticize the center-left government of Prime Minister Giuliano Amato as soft on immigration. The Chinese influx is a more recent phenomenon that puzzles and worries Italians. According to press reports, the Chinese find it easy to get visas to Yugoslavia because relations between China and Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosovic have been warm since the China's embassy in Belgrade was bombed in the Kosovo war. Also, the level of lawlessness in the Balkans has made it easy for boats smuggling illegal immigrants across the Adriatic.