China has agreed to accept the return of undocumented Chinese citizens residing in the United States, Bloomberg reports.
This decision follows mounting pressure from the US, which included veiled threats of steep tariffs against Colombia for its own refusal to accept deported migrants.
“China will receive people who are confirmed as Chinese nationals from the mainland after verification,”Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said.
She emphasized China’s firm opposition to illegal migration, suggesting the agreement is a pragmatic response to external pressure rather than a policy shift on migration itself.
The US government estimates some 210,000 undocumented Chinese migrants resided in America in 2022, a number that has likely increased due to a recent surge in border crossings since the end of the pandemic. Prior to this agreement, China had largely halted repatriation flights since 2018, accepting only four flights in 2023 after a lengthy period of COVID-related border controls.
The move comes as President Donald Trump, while currently taking a less aggressive stance on tariffs than during his campaign, recently threatened China with a 10% tariff for failing to curb the flow of fentanyl into the US. This softer stance contrasts with his campaign trail rhetoric suggesting tariffs as high as 60%.
Analysts see the agreement as a demonstration of the US’s willingness to use economic leverage to achieve its policy goals. The potential for tariffs on Colombia likely served as a catalyst for China’s change in posture.
