TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Safeguard Defenders reported Monday (Jan. 6) that the number of asylum seekers from China reached a record high of 176,239 in 2024, according to data from the U.N. refugee agency. This figure marks a 169% increase from 104,259 in 2019, before the pandemic, and a staggering 1,426% rise compared to 12,362 in 2012, when Xi Jinping (習近平) assumed power.
The cumulative number of Chinese asylum seekers has surpassed 1 million, totaling 1,158,739 from 2012 to 2024. Safeguard Defenders noted that the number of asylum applications has grown at a record pace almost every year since Xi Jinping took office. In 2022, the number equaled the total during the entire decade of former Chinese Communist Party General Secretary Hu Jintao's (胡錦濤) rule.
The United States emerged as the most popular destination for Chinese asylum seekers, with 88,722 applications filed in 2021. Australia ranked second, receiving 15,774 Chinese asylum seekers in 2020. Canada, Brazil, South Korea, and the United Kingdom also accepted thousands of applicants. European countries, excluding the U.K., received fewer Chinese asylum seekers, with Spain accepting 900, Germany 379, and France 248.
Asian regions, except South Korea, along with most parts of Africa, excluding Egypt, and the Middle East, have also seen relatively low numbers of Chinese asylum seekers. As the trend continues, experts anticipate further scrutiny and discussions on global asylum policies and their implications.