On the first day of 2023, Xu was in no mood to celebrate the new year. He had just arrived in the Colombian beach town of Necoclí along with dozens of other Chinese citizens, weary from a two-day bus trip from Ecuador. Their goal was the US via the Darién Gap, a roadless, lawless and extremely dangerous stretch of rainforest connecting South and Central America. He wanted to leave China far behind him.
"After I leave the country [China], I have no plans to go back alive," said Xu later, speaking to the Guardian in a Necoclí hotel room. "I feel like this country has been deceiving us, persecuting us. I have to do something."
Necoclí is a tourist spot known for its Caribbean music festivals but it is also a major starting point for migrants heading north to Panama through the jungle. From Panama they continue through several Central American countries to the Mexico-US border.
It is a route riddled with dangers - from the perils of the jungle's fast-running rivers and deadly wildlife, to gangs and criminals operating in the region - but Xu is desperate.
As some compatriots eat a local pastry, dedito de queso, the 31-yearold construction worker, who asked to only use a surname, joins others to chant "knock CCP down!".
The march through the Darién Gap of Haitians, Venezuelans and Cubans fleeing economic collapse and political persecution has been well-documented. But far less is known about the growing number of Chinese citizens trekking through the jungles between Colombia and Panama.
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