Increase of secret Chinese police stations alerts governments worldwide

The increase and discovery of secret police stations abroad continue to increase. According to the latest reports, there are at least 102 known secret police stations in 53 different countries, almost double the number reported last September. In addition to unveiling three new U.S. locations, it is reported that the Americas and Europe are their main targets.

22 stations in the Americas

Following the latest investigations, the organization Safeguard Defenders was able to identify that these secret police stations have been set up by various local Chinese security agencies. The latest report specified the existence of 29 stations set up by the Nantong Public Security Bureau as of February 2016 and another 12 stations set up by the Wenzhou Public Security Bureau. Investigators located six additional stations for Qingtian Public Security and one more from the Fuzhou Public Security Bureau.

According to the document, there are currently 22 police stations in the Americas. Half of them are located in South America: two are in Argentina (both in Buenos Aires), three in Brazil (Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and one in an unknown location), one in Chile (Viña del Mar), one in Colombia (Bogota), three in Ecuador (Guayaquil, Quito and unknown location) and one in Peru (exact location unknown).

The rest have been discovered in Cuba (1), Panama (1), Canada (three in Toronto, one in Vancouver and another in an unknown location). In the USA, in addition to the one previously discovered in New York, in which the FBI arrested two people, three more have been discovered (a second in New York, another in Los Angeles and a third in an unannounced location). On June 20, a federal court in Brooklyn convicted two Chinese nationals and a former U.S. law enforcement officer for their involvement in Chinese crackdowns.

Europe has at least 44 secret police stations

However, most of these secret police stations are located in Europe. The old continent has at least 44 camouflaged police stations. Italy, with 11, is the country with the highest number in the world, followed by Spain, with nine. France has four and the United Kingdom has three, while the Eurozone's economic powerhouse, Germany, reported only one. The rest are in Austria (1), Czech Republic (2), Greece (1), Hungary (2), Ireland (1), Portugal (3), Romania (1), Russia ( 1), Serbia (1), Sweden (1) and the Netherlands (2).

Safeguard Defenders explained that, for the time being, these are initiatives have stemmed from local groups and have not been planned by the Chinese communist government. However, "although not directly managed by the central authorities, some statements and policies are beginning to show a clearer orientation on the part of the central government in promoting their creation and policies. In addition, as in the original 110 Overseas, examples of return persuasion operations conducted through police stations include several targets of the central authorities' Fox Hunt campaign."

Nearly 230,000 people have been "persuaded to return" to China

China is opening official stations involving communist government agencies, with the cooperation of host governments. Matt Schrader of the Jamestown Foundation was the first to report the establishment of one such center in South Africa in 2019. The organization's brief highlights how it is "directly supervised by the CCP's United Front Department" [part of the Chinese Communist Party] and political influence operations. His report also highlights how "both the PRC embassy and the centers are open about the embassy's support for the centers, in the form of money and personnel."

In recent times, China has diversified the formulas to expand its presence and influence outside its borders, something that has been worrying local governments. In addition to the two types of centers mentioned above, it has developed joint patrols with the Italian police, as well as in the Solomon Islands, where it also trains local law enforcement. However, according to the Jamestown Foundation, the goal of "harassment and intimidation of Chinese dissidents and extrajudicial actions to return fugitives from overseas that effectively constitutes extraordinary rendition" has not changed. According to Safeguard Defenders, 230,000 people who had committed economic crimes were "persuaded to return" to their country to face trial.

The Chinese Communist government's denial

The Chinese government continues to deny the existence of these secret police stations, stressing that they are volunteers trying to help their fellow citizens. In many cases, they claim that it is a help to local agents to solve the communication problems of those citizens who do not have a sufficient level of the local language of the country where they have settled and may have committed a crime. As the final conclusion of the Jamestown report argues:

Specific investigations

Governments are also investigating possible links between these centers and China's increased interference in national policies. In Canada, for example, several conservative politicians have denounced having been victims of espionage and smear campaigns orchestrated by Chinese agents. In fact, investigations are underway into possible Chinese interference in the last presidential election in favor of current President Justin Trudeau's party.