Chinese Citizens Seeking to "Escape" Find New Routes After Trump Takes Office

May 2023: Refugees and Children Crossing the Panamanian Rainforest.(Photo provided by interviewee/Dajiyuan)

[People News] After U.S. President Donald Trump assumed office, some ordinary people in China began to feel uneasy. According to a report by the Central News Agency on the 25th, among these individuals are Chinese citizens who remain determined to “润” (escape) from China, with their sights set on the United States. However, with Trump’s return to the White House, their pathway to America seems to have been shut.

As the traditional “走线” (irregular migration routes) become more restricted and Trump resumes his presidency, there have been noticeable shifts in the strategies of these migrants. A person familiar with various immigration methods, including “走线,” told CNA reporters that in recent months, some Chinese citizens have opted for temporary relocation to nearby countries like Thailand or Malaysia. Others have identified Japan as a new target, while some focus on Canada and European Union countries like Spain.

According to Radio Free Asia, this insider noted that Malaysia's popularity has risen, partly due to its extradition treaty with Thailand. For China’s high-income groups, Japan has become more appealing than Western nations due to its policies, which, while traditionally resistant to ordinary Chinese immigration, are more welcoming to investment-based migrants. For those who wish to avoid the risks and complications of irregular migration or visa issues, Japan has become an attractive alternative for wealthier Chinese.

Canada, traditionally a top choice for Chinese wealthy migrants, has recently seen more ordinary Chinese people overstaying their visas to seek political asylum. However, Canada has tightened its tourist visa issuance, a move not unrelated to Trump’s return to power.

The CNA report quotes the insider: “If China weren’t in such dire straits, who would be so desperate to leave their homeland and take such risks to '润'?”

As the number of Chinese in Japan increases, Tokyo now has publishers dedicated to producing books in simplified Chinese. One founder expressed the hope of preserving valuable content for the “Simplified Chinese” world.

A commentator previously noted that, in July, U.S. Border Patrol apprehended 1,953 Chinese nationals attempting to enter the country illegally. However, for those still planning their journey, Ecuador, often the first stop on this route, is no longer an accessible option.

Meanwhile, the Japanese government has discovered that its visa-free agreement with Mexico for tourists has been exploited by Chinese nationals using Japan as a transit point for irregular migration to the U.S. For instance, in the past two months, multiple Chinese tour groups visiting Japan disappeared and subsequently reappeared in Mexico. In response, Japan has tightened the issuance of multiple-entry tourist visas for Chinese nationals, making it more difficult to transit through Japan to Mexico.

The U.S. government has also reported a surge in unauthorized arrivals from China. On July 2, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced that it had repatriated 116 Chinese nationals via chartered flights who had entered the U.S. illegally.