CBSA Seeks Deportation of Chinese-Canadian Political Donor Over Alleged War Crimes
The Canada Border Services Agency has initiated deportation proceedings against Rong Xiang Yuan, alleging he committed crimes against humanity in the 1980s and misrepresented his military record. Yuan, a prominent political donor to the Liberal Party, denies the allegations while facing separate criminal charges and a provincial tax lien.
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has launched deportation proceedings against Rong Xiang Yuan, a 63-year-old Chinese-born Canadian resident, alleging he committed crimes against humanity during the 1980s while serving in the People's Liberation Army during the Sino-Vietnamese conflict. The CBSA also accuses Yuan of misrepresenting his military record to Canadian immigration authorities when he applied for permanent residence, which he received in 2008.
The Immigration and Refugee Board confirmed it received a referral from the CBSA for an admissibility hearing under paragraphs 35(1)(a) and 40(1)(a) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. No hearing date has been scheduled.
Yuan’s lawyer, Daniel Reid, stated that his client denies any involvement in war crimes. Reid noted that Yuan was wounded in the Sino-Vietnamese conflict and awarded a citation of merit, adding that he has never been charged with or convicted of war crimes.
Beyond the immigration proceedings, Yuan faces separate legal issues. In July 2026, Abbotsford Police charged him with two criminal offenses: dangerous operation of a conveyance and refusing to comply with a roadside demand. That same month, the B.C. government placed a $507,000 lien on his Fraser Valley property for unpaid provincial taxes.
Government records indicate Yuan lived in a $4.3-million, 10,000-square-foot house in Chilliwack, B.C., featuring seven bedrooms, nine bathrooms, and 32 security cameras, which was reported as the priciest property in the area. Records also list him as a "high risk" gambler who exceeded $4 million in cash buy-ins at the River Rock Casino in Richmond, B.C., in 2015. He was flagged by B.C.'s anti-money laundering unit due to questionable sources of cash presented at casinos, though he was never charged with money laundering. Yuan claimed to have borrowed large sums of cash from a Jiuxiao Wang to support gambling, resulting in US$10 million in losses, which he repaid in China.
Yuan has been an active political donor. In 2016, he donated $1,500 to former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Montreal riding association and $2,800 to the Liberal Party of Canada. Other directors of Tiger Arms Ltd., a company associated with Yuan, contributed $1,500 each to Trudeau and a total of $11,500 to the Liberal Party. The Canada-China Association for Promoting Friendly Relations, founded by Yuan, donated $1,050 to the B.C. Liberal Party in 2017 before being dissolved by the B.C. government in 2019 for failing to file required paperwork. Yuan also raised $30,000 to support Alberta communities affected by wildfires in 2016.
While media reports show Yuan photographed next to Trudeau and attending events with members of parliament, his lawyer states he has never had a personal relationship or private meeting with a Canadian politician.