The US Department of Justice announced last Monday (17) that it had arrested two people accused of being linked to a secret police station maintained by the Chinese government in New York. Now tightening the blockade against Beijing is the United Kingdom, with a promise to investigate and punish any cases of threats against British citizens or foreigners. Information comes from the network Reuters.
A September 2022 report by a human rights NGO revealed the existence of “foreign police service centers”. Protect the Guardians. More than 100 of these stations operate around the world with the aim of harassing Chinese citizens abroad.
Since then, many countries have explored the practice and closed institutions, but many remain active. One of these secret police centers in the service of the Chinese government operates in London, the NGO said, targeting Chinese citizens.
“This government takes interference with foreigners here, transnational intimidation, etc. very seriously. This is completely unacceptable and we will do everything necessary to prevent it from happening,” said Crime, Policing and Fire Minister Chris Philp.
Although there have been no reported incidents of persecution of Chinese people in London, the secret police station has been linked to an important episode. A Chinese businessman believed to be linked to the service station hosted a dinner to raise money for the Conservative Party, possibly as a way to increase Beijing’s influence in British politics.
After the dinner came to light, the Conservative Party said the man had been expelled from the union by local members and that a case had been lodged with the authorities responsible. But this is not the only instance of British politicians placing themselves within the purview of Chinese intelligence.
In early 2022, MI5, the United Kingdom’s domestic intelligence service, revealed the actions of a Chinese agent allegedly carrying out “political interference activities” in Parliament. Ching Gui Lee, a London-based lawyer, is said to have “established links” with MPs who serve and aspire to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
In addition to distributing hundreds of thousands of dollars to party members, the woman allegedly donated $275,000 to politicians, including Labor MP Barry Gardiner.
Faced with this situation, Philip, a member of parliament, issued a warning. “All political parties should be aware of the risk of representatives of hostile countries infiltrating or influencing our activities,” the minister said.
Tracking and chasing
According to Protect the Guardians, stations in New York and London emerged as social associations of citizens from the same Chinese region with the aim of providing administrative support to tourists and migrants, for example in the preparation of documents. However, over time, they were used to suppress dissidents and Chinese citizens accused of crimes in their country.
In most cases, the venues operate an online system that puts the Chinese citizen in contact with authorities in China. Individuals are often forced under pressure to return to Chinese territory to face local justice. There are indications that the stations are active in tracking and tracking targets in foreign countries.
Repatriated Chinese
Data from Protect the Guardians He pointed out that between April 2021 and July 2022, 230,000 Chinese “returned to face possible criminal charges in China” with the help of police centers. The methods used include “threats and harassment, usually against family members at home or directly against a target abroad, through online or physical means.” For all intents and purposes, the Chinese government says the returnees have committed some crime.
With the help of these centers, Beijing imposes state surveillance and persecutes ethnic groups, particularly Tibetans and Uyghur Muslim minorities and their families.
Two Chinese “service centers” operate in Brazil, one in São Paulo and the other in Rio de Janeiro. However, the Protect the Guardians It says there is no record of persecution against the Chinese at these stations, which were used only to provide administrative support to tourists and immigrants.
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