China set up several "overseas police service stations," including one in New York City, the human rights watchdog group Safe Guard Defenders said in a report compiled for the New York Post.
There are dozens of police stations in various countries around the world, including the United States, which the Chinese communist regime uses to monitor its citizens living outside China. In North America, in addition to the New York station, China has three stations in Toronto (Canada). The rest are spread throughout the world, with a strong presence in Europe. In total, there are more than 50 police stations in some 30 countries.
Violation of international law
Safe Guard Defenders condemned that "These operations eschew official bilateral police and judicial cooperation and violate the international rule of law, and may violate the territorial integrity of third countries involved in setting up a parallel policing mechanism using illegal methods.”
The report, entitled 110 Overseas: Chinese Transnational Policing Gone Wild, states that these police stations are used to assist the Chinese Communist Party by "cracking down on all kinds of illegal and criminal activities involving overseas Chinese." According to the report, the main criminal activities monitored by these Chinese Communist Party satellites are fraud and telecommunications fraud.
110 Overseas by VozMedia on Scribd
Human rights violations
The report notes that from April 2021 to July 2022, Chinese authorities claimed that 230,000 Chinese nationals have been "successfully persuaded to return" to China to face criminal prosecution for their actions.
Generally, among the methods used to ensure that a citizen returns to China are alleged human rights violations. In order for the Chinese citizen under investigation to return home, the Chinese authorities intimidate and imprison the target's family. Also the Communist Party's own proxies threaten the investigated person online or in person until they make them return to China "voluntarily.”
Safe Guard Defenders fear that these police stations also serve as centers for spreading Chinese government propaganda and monitoring the behavior and opinions of its citizens.
"As these operations continue to develop and new mechanisms are set up, it is evident that countries governed by the standards set by universal human rights and the rule of law urgently need to investigate these practices, mitigate the risks and effectively protect the growing number of those targeted," the report concludes.
