There are more than 100 unofficial police stations in China around the world, of which almost 50 are in Europe, Newsweek reports , citing investigations by the Spanish human rights organization Safeguard Defenders. Earlier, the publication conducted its own investigation, during which it was possible to identify the presence of such institutions in the United States.
They are under the control of China's public security departments located in the country's coastal cities. They are supposed to be subordinate to the United Front Workers' Department of the CPC Central Committee. He is engaged in intelligence gathering and keeps an eye on influential Chinese citizens at home and abroad.
Representatives of the Chinese authorities have repeatedly denied the existence of such secret institutions. In December 2022, the Chinese Embassy in France stated that China "complies with international law" and "does not carry out any law enforcement activities" in other countries.
Most of the secret police stations of the PRC were found in Italy. There are 11 such institutions. Also in Spain, Safeguard Defenders found 9 sites, and in France – 4 sites.
At the same time, human rights activists emphasize that, most likely, they found only a small fraction of such organizations. They also point to the existence of other Chinese influence structures abroad.
The task of secret police stations is not only to prosecute people who have committed an offense under Chinese law. Often, they are engaged in the persecution of dissidents, control of the Chinese diaspora abroad and the implementation of influence operations.
While the United States launched an investigation into the activities of the United Front Labor Department, during which two Chinese citizens were arrested , suspected of working with a secret Chinese police station in New York, in Europe, until recently, little action was taken against these institutions. , noted in Safeguard Defenders. However, after the Americans launched a fight against Chinese agents of influence, according to Newsweek, Germany and France began to investigate the activities of Chinese agents in these countries.