Ethnic Chinese in Russia officially numbered 34,577 according to the
2002 census. However, this figure is contested, with the
Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission of the
Republic of China on Taiwan claiming 998,000 in 2004 and 2005, and Russian demographers generally accepting estimates in the 200,000–400,000 range as of 2004. Temporary migration and shuttle trade conducted by Chinese merchants are most prevalent in Russia's
Far Eastern Federal District, but most go back and forth across the border without settling down in Russia; the Chinese community in
Moscow has a higher proportion of long-term residents.