We regret to inform you that the China Seminar scheduled for Thursday, September 11, has been canceled due to unforeseen circumstances. We apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate your understanding.

Chinese Migration and America’s Souther Border

featuring
Mengyu Dong
East-West Center 2025 Melvin Goo Fellowship Recipient

Speaker’s summary:
In recent years, a growing number of Chinese migrants have been undertaking the overland route known as zouxian (“the walk route”) to the United States. Drawing on fieldwork in Latin America and along the U.S.-Mexico border, this talk explores how Chinese migrants navigate the long and dangerous journey. It traces the influence of social media on contemporary migration, as well as the informal infrastructures that emerge when official pathways narrow. The talk also examines how U.S. policy reverberates southward, reshaping choices, risks and alliances far from the border. Finally, it considers how recent policies have shaped migration and border dynamics.

Speaker’s Bio:
Mengyu Dong is a California-based journalist and researcher who writes about borders and migration. She is a recipient of East-West Center’s 2025 Melvin MS Goo Writing Fellowship and has reported from Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico and U.S. border regions, documenting the journeys of migrants from China, Venezuela, Russia, Afghanistan, and beyond. Her work has appeared in various news outlets including the BBC, Initium Media, and others. She is currently working on a nonfiction book about the experiences of immigrants who arrived in the United States after the COVID-19 pandemic. Mengyu is a Knight-Hennessy Scholar at Stanford University.

---

The views expressed are those of the speaker and do not necessarily reflect East-West Center policies or positions.

The China Seminar was founded by Dr. Daniel W.Y. Kwok in 1977. Under his guidance, it became a signature program of the Friends of the East-West Center (FEWC) in 2009. The program provides an informal venue for China experts, such as scholars, diplomats, and journalists, to present talks on aspects of China that interest the community and members of the Friends. Topics include politics, economics, social issues, history, culture, food, arts, and many other subjects.