Why More Chinese Are Risking Danger in Southern Border Crossings to U.S.
Gao Zhibin and his daughter embarked on a 35-day journey from Beijing to the United States, traversing nine countries and enduring hardships like trekking through Panama’s brutal Darien Gap. They are part of a growing number of Chinese nationals seeking asylum in the U.S., fleeing the world’s second-largest economy due to bleak economic prospects and political oppression. The trend has resulted in a surge of Chinese migrants trekking the dangerous route through the Darien Gap, exceeding numbers from Venezuela, Ecuador, and Haiti. Many of these migrants are from lower middle-class backgrounds, fearing poverty if China’s economy worsens and seeking a better future for their children. They often choose to cross the border through the Darien Gap, surrender to U.S. border control, get detained, and apply for asylum – a procedure often shared on social media. The Chinese migrants’ flight is seen as a referendum on the rule of China’s leader, Xi Jinping.
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