After the meeting a few days ago with his Chinese counterpart, Secretary of National Security Alejandro Mayorkas said that he is “confident” that an agreement will be reached. In recent years the number of Chinese crossing the border between Mexico and the United States has reached record numbers. Meanwhile, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen concluded her visit to China to regulate economic relations.
Beijing () – China and the United States are discussing the possibility of repatriating Chinese immigrants who have entered American territory illegally. The news was given two days ago by the Secretary of National Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, who in February met in Vienna with the Chinese Minister of Public Security, Wang Xiaohong. A possible agreement would represent a turning point in relations between Washington and Beijing, which, in a context of relative thaw, are trying to find a solution to various bilateral issues. In recent days, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen visited China for the second time in nine months to regulate economic relations between the two world powers.
In recent years, more and more Chinese migrants have crossed the border between Mexico and the United States. Only in 2023 were they arrested more than 37 thousand Chinese citizens, a figure 50 times greater than the previous year. Two weeks ago, the bodies of eight Chinese men whose boat had capsized were found on a beach near the town of Playa Vicente, in the Mexican state of Oaxaca.
Beijing had officially suspended the repatriation of its citizens from the United States in 2022, following the visit to Taiwan by the Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, but Washington had previously included China on a list of countries considered “uncooperative” in matters of repatriations, along with Russia, Venezuela and Cuba, to name a few.
Mayorkas told NBC News that things “could change.” “We have been working with the People's Republic of China to effectively receive those we have determined are not suitable to remain in the United States,” explained the official, who said he had “confidence” in the talks.
Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington, issued a statement in favor of cooperation between the two countries: “Illegal immigration is an international problem that requires the cooperation of interested countries to solve it together,” he said, adding that The Chinese government will accept “the repatriation of Chinese citizens whose origin from mainland China has been verified.”
According to data of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service, in fiscal year 2023, 288 Chinese citizens were repatriated, while around 100,000 live on US soil who have already received an expulsion order.
Meanwhile, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen concluded talks with Chinese Premier Li Qiang, during which she reiterated U.S. concerns about China's industrial overproduction in the technology sector, particularly electric vehicles, photovoltaic modules and lithium batteries. . On the other hand, Beijing aims to increase exports to boost its economy. In 2023, China exported more than 1.2 million electric vehicles and produced more than 80% of the world's solar panels, causing prices to decline. Recently, during the two annual sessions, Chinese President Xi Jinping reiterated his ambition to develop a cutting-edge industrial technology sector.
