WATCH THE PODCAST: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8So5qYS-LEE
A new report by Spanish civil rights group Safeguard Defenders documented that Chinese police
forces have been running “overseas police service stations” in “dozens of countries” across five
continents since 2018, constituting illegal policing operations on foreign soil. The report, ‘110
Overseas: China’s transnational policing gone wild’ can be downloaded at:
https://safeguarddefenders.com/sites/default/files/pdf/110%20Overseas%20%284%29.pdf
Since the report was released on 12 September, 14 governments have started investigations into
the police stations on their territory – including Austria, Canada, Chile, Czech Republic,
Germany, Ireland, Italy, Nigeria, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, The Netherlands, the UK and the US.
The “overseas police service centers” – set up by at least two Public Security Bureaus from
Zhejiang and Fuzhou province in countries around the world in apparent close cooperation with
the local United Front Work Department with tasks that include to “resolutely crack down on all
kinds of overseas Chinese-related illegal and criminal activities” are the latest iteration in the
PRC’s growing transnational repression, where it seeks to police and limit political expression far
beyond its own borders.
Three Tibet groups in the Netherlands sent a letter to the Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte about
the intimidation faced by citizens of Tibetan heritage and others. The International Campaign for
Tibet in Europe said that in recent months, Tibetan residents in the country have been receiving
phone calls from unknown individuals, some who identified themselves as representatives of the
Chinese embassy, and some who concealed their affiliations.
https://www.phayul.com/2022/11/03/47669/
The podcast opens with a discussion about a shocking incident in Britain when Chinese consular
officials assaulted a peaceful protester from Hong Kong on 16 October. Hong Kongers were
holding a peaceful demonstration outside the Chinese Consulate in Manchester coinciding with
Xi Jinping’s assertion of power at the Party Congress in Beijing.
Chinese consular officials escalated the protest by tearing down images of Xi Jinping displayed
by the protestors. Then Hong Konger Bob Chan was set upon by masked Chinese men and
physically dragged into the grounds of the consulate.
After initial denials were disproved by the video clip, Zheng told Chinese state media that he was
merely ‘doing his duty’. Greater Manchester police have launched an investigation into the
assault. The incident was a frightening demonstration of the efforts made by the Chinese
government and their proxies to silence and instil fear not only their own citizens but beyond their
borders.
The podcast features a discussion on the significance of a new development on 6 October, a
landmark decision by the European Court of Human Rights that could herald an end to Europe’s
extraditions to China. The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) unanimously found that the
extradition of a Taiwanese national to China, which Poland’s courts had cleared earlier, would
place him at significant risk of ill-treatment and torture. This decision will most likely mean
European countries will find it near impossible to extradite suspects to China again.
Safeguard Defenders has called for democracies worldwide to recognize the domestic threat
represented by these rapidly expanding transnational repression operations and adopt a whole-of-
government approach to:
Investigate the PRC’s transnational repression tactics and underlying networks – also in countries
where no police service station appears to have been set up
Set up adequate reporting and protection mechanisms for communities at risk and ensure local
law enforcement offices are aware of the particular threats they face
Urgently review – and possibly suspend – judicial and police cooperation agreements with the
PRC;
Coordinate information-sharing and adequate responses with like-minded countries, including
targeted sanctions and visa restrictions on those responsible for or complicit in these efforts.
In this episode of Tibet in Context, Rebon Banerjee Dhar and Kate Saunders from FNVA speaks
with Laura Harth, Campaign Director at Safeguard Defenders, a human rights NGO that
undertakes and supports local activities for the protection of human rights, promotion of the rule
of law and enhancement of local civil society capacity in some of Asia's most hostile
environments.
