Chinese dissident Dong Guangping has arrived in Canada after a multi-stage escape from China, which included a dangerous sea voyage, detention in South Korea, and previous failed attempts to leave the country.

Dong, 68, reached Toronto late last week, expressing relief and a sense of freedom after years of living under what he described as suffocating restrictions in China. He had been under constant police monitoring since his release from prison, unable to access retirement benefits or renew his passport.

His journey began on May 24, when he set off from the coastal city of Weihai in a small rubber dinghy, initially aiming for Japan. However, fog and a dying phone with a dead power bank forced him to change course toward South Korea.

"Living conditions back in the country are so terrible that being alive is little different than being dead. So there is no point fearing death," Dong told The Associated Press in a video interview from Toronto. "If you move forward, there’s a chance at life."

After approximately 40 hours at sea, he was picked up by a fishing boat and subsequently detained by the South Korean Coast Guard for alleged immigration law violations. A court, however, found insufficient grounds for his arrest. He was then transferred to a refugee center in Incheon.

Earlier this month, Dong was contacted by the U.N. refugee agency. Shortly after, he learned from his lawyer that the Canadian diplomatic mission had requested his information. About a week later, he boarded a flight to Toronto.

Dong believes his resettlement status in Canada, secured by his family in 2015 before a prior deportation, remained valid. He recalled his previous attempts to flee China, including a failed 2015 trip to Thailand and a 2019 swim toward a Taiwanese island. In 2020, he reached Vietnam but was deported back to China.

He was imprisoned multiple times in China for his activism, including for commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown and for distributing articles on political topics. In the late 1990s, he served three years for inciting subversion of state power and was jailed for over eight months in 2014 for participating in a Tiananmen victims memorial.

Dong plans to explore legal options against Thailand and Vietnam for his past deportations. His ultimate goal, he stated, is to advocate for democratization in China.