Key facts
- Chinese dissident Dong Guangping successfully fled China by boat, reaching South Korea and then resettling in Canada.
- The 68-year-old activist undertook a 40-hour journey across the Yellow Sea from China's Shandong province.
- Dong has a history of activism and has been imprisoned multiple times in China for his political activities.
- This was Dong's latest attempt to escape China after several previous failed attempts and deportations.
- He was granted political asylum in Canada, where his family resides.
Chinese dissident Dong Guangping has successfully fled China by undertaking a perilous sea journey and has resettled in Canada. The 68-year-old activist, who has faced multiple imprisonments for his human rights work, described his 40-hour voyage across the Yellow Sea in a small rubber dinghy as a desperate bid for freedom.
Dong recounted the extreme risks involved, including sunburn, a dying phone with a dead portable charger, and the fear of drifting back towards China. He was eventually rescued by South Korean coast guard and fishermen on May 27, after traveling over 300km from Shandong province. He stated that he could not survive in China and needed to demonstrate his ability to escape the control of the Chinese Communist Party.
This escape marks the latest in a series of attempts by Dong to leave China. He has previously been jailed for inciting subversion and illegally crossing borders. In 2015, he was granted refugee status in Thailand but was deported to China. After his release from prison, he attempted to swim to Taiwan and later entered Vietnam, but was deported back to China again. These repeated failures only strengthened his resolve to seek freedom.
A spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry told the BBC that the government handles citizen exit and entry in accordance with the law, and that Chinese citizens must abide by the Constitution and the law. Dong Guangping is not the first Chinese dissident to flee by sea; activist Kwon Pyong also reached South Korea on a jet ski in 2023 before resettling in the US.
Dong expressed deep emotion upon confirming his flight to Toronto and shared his greatest regret: not being able to fulfill his filial duties towards his mother, whose 95th birthday he celebrated shortly before his escape.