China - IOM Director General William Lacy Swing, on a visit to the People’s Republic of China, has called for increased efforts to combat people smuggling and trafficking, and for strengthening of border management efforts.

Addressing the fourth Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Shanghai, Ambassador Swing noted CICA’s efforts to ensure peace and security and its work towards the elimination of irregular migration in a country where internal migration is equal to the number of international migrants worldwide.

"Only by recognizing migrants’ rights and thinking about their well-being can migration be used for a country's development," said Swing.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, one of several presidents attending the conference, welcomed IOM’s statement and expressed his appreciation of IOM’s efforts in managing international migration.

During his visit to China, Director General Swing also gave the keynote speech at the International Forum of Immigration Inspection, hosted by the Ministry of Public Security in Shenzhen.

The meeting was attended by senior officials from over 30 countries and international organizations with the objective of strengthening international cooperation on migration management.

The forum adopted a common Immigration Inspection Standard, which aims to facilitate professional, effective and customer-friendly immigration service and management.

At the launch in Beijing of the Chinese version of IOM’s latest World Migration Report, attended by senior government officials, embassies and media, Ambassador Swing heard how China is seeking to work more closely with other countries to deal with challenges posed by changing migration patterns, including an overall increase in the number of migrants.

He noted that IOM has been helping Chinese ministries by providing expertise and cutting-edge technology for migration management.

Ambassador Swing is continuing his meetings this week in Beijing with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where he plans to further expand the bilateral relationship with China and broaden areas of cooperation.

For more information, please contact

Pär Liljert
IOM Beijing
Tel. +86 10 597 996 95
Email: pliljert@iom.int