China signals it will help US tackle illegal migration after halting cooperation in 2022
“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.
China firmly opposed US media and politicians “using the issue as a pretext to smear and scapegoat China”, the embassy said.
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Xi Jinping, Joe Biden hold talks on sidelines of Apec summit to ease strained US-China ties
Military-to-military communication, alongside dialogue in fields such as climate change and trade, have since resumed.
On Tuesday, officials from both countries were set to hold their first discussions on artificial intelligence, including the issues of global governance and risks of the technology.
Associated Press reported last week that China had “quietly resumed” cooperation on the deportation of Chinese nationals who were in the US illegally amid a spike in illegal immigrants entering the country from Mexico.
According to the report, US border officials arrested more than 37,000 Chinese nationals on its southern border in 2023 – 10 times the number recorded a year earlier.
The report quoted China’s foreign ministry as saying that Beijing was “willing to maintain dialogue and cooperation in the area of immigrant enforcement in the US” and would accept the deportation of those whose Chinese nationality has been verified.
The US cannot send back Chinese immigrants who have no legal status to stay in the country without the cooperation of the Chinese government.
The report, citing American officials, said China had been “uncooperative” when it came to repatriating Chinese citizens back to the mainland.