China signals it will help US tackle illegal migration after halting cooperation in 2022
- Chinese embassy says Beijing is open to talks on repatriation of illegal immigrants following suspension in aftermath of Nancy Pelosi’s Taiwan visit
- More than 37,000 Chinese nationals were arrested at southern US border in 2023 – 10 times the number a year earlier
The Chinese embassy in the US said China “firmly opposed” illegal immigration and its law enforcement departments had cracked down “hard” on such crimes while maintaining a “high pressure” against smuggling organisations.
“Chinese law enforcement agencies have regular cooperation with relevant countries to jointly tackle cross-border smuggling activities, repatriate illegal immigrants and maintain the order of international flow of people,” the embassy said in a statement.
“It should be noted that the issue of illegal immigration is an international one that requires international cooperation.”
The statement was a response to a question posted on the embassy website about an earlier Chinese comment that US media and politicians had been “hyping up” the issue of illegal Chinese immigrants in country and Beijing’s actions to tackle the problem.