Desperate Chinese nationals are traveling to Indonesia with the intention of entering Australia illegally by boat.
Li* was one of ten illegal Chinese migrants who entered the unfenced Mungalalu Truscott air base in remote Western Australia on April 6, after arriving by boat.
Li and two other members of the group, all in their 30s, told ABC that the potentially deadly trip was worth it to escape bankruptcy and debt at home.
So far this year, four ships carrying Chinese nationals have attempted to travel to Australia.
Li’s ship was the only one to succeed, as the others were intercepted or sunk.
Li, Zhang and Fang* were among 10 Chinese nationals who were intercepted by WA Police after arriving illegally in Australia on April 6.
Beijing’s ‘Covid Zero’ policy shut down Li’s neighborhood for weeks at a time without warning in 2020, ruining his business and bankrupting him.
“I found my life in China too stressful, with limited freedom, I want to come to Australia because it is more humane and free,” he told ABC.
Zhang*, another of the migrants detained by border police with Li, shared a similar story of debt and restrictions that made life in China unbearable.
The two men had never met before arriving in Jakarta, but both used Xiaohongshu and Douyin (Chinese versions of TikTok) to find a way out of China.
Advertisements in the comments sections offered to smuggle anyone into Australia for $10,000.
Li said the offer was especially tempting for many people who had their genuine Australian visa applications denied.
After responding to the ads, each man was placed in group chats and told to fly to Jakarta and wait until nightfall to board their ship.
Many of the 10 Chinese migrants on board were unaware of Australia’s strict border controls and offshore detention centres.
Li expected the process to be simple and intended to apply for asylum upon arrival.
“The only thing we knew was that two possibilities awaited us if we traveled by boat,” he explained.
“Either we were intercepted before disembarking or we landed successfully and then applied for visas based on our individual situations, such as applying for asylum.”
Another man on the boat, Fang*, was also unaware of Australia’s harsh immigration system and the risk of detention.
Fang had worked as a steelworker in Malaysia and didn’t even quit before heading to Jakarta on his way to Australia.
He made the trip hoping to make more money in Australia than in Malaysia.
The three men told ABC they signed up to be smuggled into Australia after seeing ads for the service on the Chinese version of TikTok.
Li and Zhang* told the publication that Beijing’s ‘zero-Covid’ policy had ruined them with no hope of recovery, prompting them to flee (pictured, Chinese President Xi Jinping)
Victor Shih, an associate professor of Chinese political science at the University of California, said it was unusual for Chinese citizens to flee their country.
Typically, when a country reaches middle-income status, as China did in 2020 after eradicating extreme poverty, its citizens prefer to stay, Shih explained.
However, President Xi Jinping’s strict COVID-zero policy wiped out many people’s savings and left them with unmanageable debt.
Chinese society operates under a social credit system, which heavily penalizes individuals with negative positions, exacerbating their difficulties.
“In China, because of how widespread the credit system is… if you get a low score on the credit system, some of these people can’t even travel by train,” Dr. Shih said.
“So doing business, starting a new business to pay off some of your debts, is almost impossible.”
Li, Zhang and Fang were intercepted by WA Police and Australian Defense Force officers who were sent to the former World War II air base to secure the site.
The Chinese migrants were found after some entered the unfenced Mungalalu Truscott air base, alerting authorities.
After the eight-day voyage from Jakarta, Indonesia, most of the men aboard the ship were surprised to discover that Australia had strict border controls and detention centers.
All the migrants who arrived on the boat were transported to the Nauru Detention Center, where Fang decided to return to Malaysia.
Australian immigration officials offered each of the remaining men A$7,600 if they voluntarily boarded a free return flight to China.
Li, who has a wife and son to support him at home, calls them using the detention center’s phones.
He is now waiting for the center to provide him with legal assistance to continue with the necessary procedures to remain in the country after his arrest.
However, the Department of Home Affairs said people arriving in Australia by boat without a visa have “zero chance of settling”.
“Australia’s policy response remains consistent: unauthorized maritime arrivals will not be established in Australia,” a spokesperson said.
Daily Mail Australia was unable to independently verify Li, Zhang and Fang’s accounts.
*Li, Zhang and Fang are pseudonyms.