Canada’s border agency has referred Rong Xiang Yuan to the Immigration and Refugee Board for a deportation admissibility hearing over allegations of war crimes and immigration misrepresentation.
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The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has launched deportation proceedings against Rong Xiang Yuan, also known as “Tiger” Yuan, alleging he committed war crimes and misrepresented his military record in Canada immigration applications.
The CBSA alleges the 63-year-old Chinese citizen committed crimes against humanity in the 1980s while serving in the People’s Liberation Army during China’s war against Vietnam.
The Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) said it has received a referral from CBSA for an admissibility hearing under paragraphs 35(1)(a) and 40(1)(a) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, which cover allegations involving serious crimes and misrepresentation of material facts.
The IRB said a hearing date has not yet been scheduled.
Yuan has denied the allegations. His lawyer, Daniel Reid, said Yuan “denies in the strongest terms having committed any war crimes” and has never been charged with or convicted of such an offence in China, Canada, or elsewhere.
The CBSA also alleges Yuan misrepresented or withheld material facts relating to his military history when he applied for permanent residence, which he received in 2008.
According to court records referenced in the case, Yuan lives near Vancouver and has faced other legal troubles in British Columbia. The Abbotsford Police Department said Yuan was arrested on July 19, 2026, shortly before midnight on Highway One after he failed to comply with a lawful roadside demand while operating a pickup truck.
Police said he appeared in provincial court on Sept. 14 to face charges of dangerous operation of a conveyance and refusing to comply with a roadside demand, and he is scheduled to return to court this week.
Earlier court records also indicate Yuan was fined and banned from driving for three months after being charged with driving while prohibited in Maple Ridge, B.C., with that charge referenced as occurring five years before the Sept. 14 court appearance.
The B.C. government placed a lien on a Fraser Valley property listed in his arrest records as his home address, alleging $507,000 in unpaid provincial taxes.
The war crimes allegations trace back to the Cold War-era conflict that began in 1979, when China invaded Vietnam. The case materials say the allegations involve events in the late 1980s.
Yuan’s lawyer said Yuan was wounded during the Sino-Vietnamese conflict and later received a citation of merit, while also denying any involvement in war crimes.
According to the materials referenced, Yuan was discharged from the military in 1991, and his lawyer said he has had no involvement or affiliation with the Chinese military since then. The case materials also state he immigrated to Canada in 2008 due to uncertainty in China.
Once in Canada, court and corporate records cited in the materials state Yuan moved into a $4.3-million, 10,000-square-foot house with seven bedrooms and nine bathrooms.
The materials also describe Yuan as the founder of an advocacy group, the Canada-China Association for Promoting Friendly Relations, and state that he served as a founding board member and represented the group at community events attended by elected officials and Chinese consular officials.
The group’s mission is described in a copy of its constitution as promoting friendly relations between Canada and China.
A Vietnamese Canadian Federation president, Dong Van Tran, is quoted in the materials as saying, “If that is true, I agree with that,” referring to the war crimes allegations.
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