Number of Chinese seeking asylum abroad up fivefold in five years, UN figures show, as lawyers mark anniversary of crackdown on dissent
There were 57,705 asylum seekers registered as being from China last year. Five years ago, that number stood at just 10,617
The number of Chinese citizens seeking asylum abroad has increased almost fivefold in the last five years, latest United Nations figures show, a trend attributed by some experts to the mainland’s renewed crackdown on activists, human rights lawyers and political dissidents since President Xi Jinping took power in 2012.
Over the past 13 years, China has consistently ranked in the top 20 countries worldwide in terms of the number of refugees it produces, according to the UN refugee agency’s Global Trends report.
There were 57,705 asylum seekers registered from China last year. Five years ago, that number stood at just 10,617.
The number of people from China classed as refugees has also seen a steady increase, from 190,369 in 2011 to 212,911 last year.
Although China has by and large enjoyed political stability over the last two decades, “the deteriorating human rights situation is one factor and the deteriorating situation in areas populated by ethnic minorities has probably also played a contributing role”, says William Nee, China researcher at Amnesty International.