(Deutsche Welle Chinese website) The human rights organization “Protection Defenders” earlier disclosed that China has illegally set up “overseas service stations” for police and overseas Chinese overseas, accusing Beijing of using this to pressure Chinese dissidents overseas, which has attracted the attention of many countries. Following the Dutch investigation, Ireland ordered the closure of the Chinese police station in Dublin. A week before German Chancellor Scholz’s visit to China, German authorities also said they were investigating whether China had an illegal foreign police station in Frankfurt.
A spokesman for the interior ministry of the German state of Hesse said police and internal security agencies were reviewing the report of the Protector. According to the report, China has set up undisclosed police stations in 30 countries, including Germany.
The spokesman confirmed previous reports in Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung that there has been no indication of such a unit in Frankfurt so far. The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reported that the relevant police departments and the state agency for the protection of the constitution were involved in the investigation to check whether the so-called “office” really existed in Frankfurt and what activities it carried out.
The Chinese embassy did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
According to the Süddeutsche Zeitung, the federal government has warned the Chinese government about the deployment of liaison officers by Chinese police in Germany. The report quoted people in the Berlin government circle as saying that the German side made it clear in the talks with Beijing that the federal government does not accept China’s sovereign tasks in Germany. A spokesman for the federal interior ministry told the newspaper that the federal government does not tolerate foreign exercise of state power in Germany and is working to ensure that China complies with the provisions of the Vienna Convention.
Hessian local media Hessenschau also quoted the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) as saying that there is no bilateral agreement in Germany on the operation of such overseas police stations, so the Chinese agency “does not have any executive power within the territory of the Federal Republic of Germany”.
Ireland closes ‘illegal’ Chinese police station
The Irish Times reported on Thursday (October 27) that the Irish Foreign Office had ordered the closure of a Chinese police station in central Dublin following a review of the activities of Chinese overseas police stations.
According to reports, the agency, called “Fuzhou Overseas Police Service Point”, was established earlier this year and is located on Capel Street in central Dublin. Fuzhou is the capital of Fujian Province in China. A considerable number of the Chinese community in Ireland are believed to be from Fuzhou.
The Irish Foreign Office said in a statement on Wednesday that neither Chinese authorities nor officials from Fujian and Fuzhou had approached the ministry for permission to set up the station in Dublin. As a result, ministry officials have expressed concern to the Chinese embassy on the matter in recent weeks. A Foreign Office spokesman said that all foreign operations in Ireland must comply with the requirements of international and domestic law. stop functioning.”
The spokesman said the Chinese embassy had confirmed that “the office’s activities have ceased.”
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Safeguard Defenders, a non-governmental human rights organization based in Spain, released a report in September disclosing and accusing Beijing of having overseas police “service stations” in “dozens of countries on five continents,” including 12 EU countries. , suspected of long-arm jurisdiction and cross-border law enforcement.
The report, titled “Overseas 110: Uncontrolled Chinese Transnational Crime Strike”, pointed out that through the so-called “Overseas 110” operation, China used irregular means to target overseas Chinese or their family members in China, regardless of the target. Whether it is a dissident, a corrupt official, or a suspect who is not a key target, they all undermine due process of law and the basic rights of suspects, while also circumventing bilateral police and judicial cooperation and violating international regulations.
According to the report, authorities used methods such as “tracking … target individuals’ family members in China in order to pressure them through intimidation, harassment, detention or imprisonment” and “persuading” overseas suspects to return to China.
The Dutch foreign ministry said on Wednesday it was investigating reports that China had set up two illegal police centers in the Netherlands. In addition to the Netherlands and Ireland, Canadian police have also launched investigations into Chinese overseas police stations.
Many countries have successively launched investigations into Chinese police stations overseas. Schematic.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said on Thursday it was investigating reports that China had set up “illegal police stations” in Canada and “harassed Chinese nationals.” In an email to AFP, the RCMP said it was investigating reports of criminal activity linked to so-called “police stations”.
“The RCMP takes very seriously threats to the safety of individuals living in Canada and is aware that foreign countries may seek to intimidate or harm Canadian communities or individuals,” the letter reads.
Chen Yanting, a researcher at the “Guardian of Protection”, told DW that these overseas institutions are “selling dog meat”, which is “worrying.” A detailed investigation, and the results “spread in the sun”.
The organization also expressed the hope that in the future, the countries involved can re-examine local laws and regulations, whether they can be more clearly regulated and strictly controlled to avoid similar incidents, and set up mechanisms such as special lines, so that potential victims can report relevant police under protection. stand.
China’s official response
The Chinese embassy denied reports of an “overseas illegal police station” and said that the service station only “provides administrative assistance” for Chinese citizens, such as assisting in renewing driver’s licenses. China’s foreign ministry said the report was “completely false,” and spokesman Mao Ning responded when asked about the matter at a regular foreign ministry news briefing on Thursday: “Chinese public security organs strictly abide by international law and fully respect the justice of other countries,” Agence France-Presse reported. sovereignty.”
In response to the Irish Foreign Ministry’s order to close the police service station in Dublin, the Chinese Embassy in Dublin stated that the office was not involved in any law enforcement activities and there was no evidence that it was involved in “persuasion” activities; the Chinese Embassy in Ottawa said that these offices The staff are “local volunteers, not Chinese police,” assisting with vision checks, driver’s license renewals, etc., and “have not participated in any criminal investigation or related activities.”
In this regard, Chen Yanting, a researcher of the “Guardian of Protection”, said that the Chinese official statement “obviously is talking nonsense”. In addition to the many cases in the report published by the organization that can be refuted, recent reports by the Spanish media also confirmed the illegal security operations. Indeed, it was used to “dissuade” accused criminals to return to China for trial.
An unnamed Chinese Foreign Ministry official in Shanghai told the newspaper El Correo on Sunday: “Bilateral treaties are very cumbersome and Europe is reluctant to extradite to China. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with putting pressure on criminals to stand trial…”
The official insisted that such actions were not illegal under Chinese law, but “Guardian” said the methods used by China clearly violated international human rights law and violated the territorial sovereignty of individual countries.
(Comprehensive report)
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