US steps up fight against Chinese overseas police service centers

The global fight has been escalated by the United States against hundreds of Chinese police outposts spread around the world. These outposts have been unnerving diplomats and intelligence agents, as per New York Times. The surfaced after the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) searched a six-story office building on a busy street in New York's Chinatown last fall. This search was a part of a criminal investigation related to the US attorney's office in Brooklyn, reported New York Times.

FBI and three Department of Justice indictments have been targeting these types of operations that are being run by these Chinese outposts. However, no other country in the world has brought any known charges against such operations.

The two Public Security Bureaus from Zhejiang and Fuzhou provinces have set up such Chinese outposts in various countries around the world. They work with the local United Front Work Department closely to "resolutely crack down on all kinds of overseas Chinese-related illegal and criminal activities", reported ANI, citing New York Times.

Chinese outposts in various places 

Such Chinese outposts represent China's efforts to police its diaspora far beyond its borders which has caused a dispute. the FBI raid is the first known example of the authorities seizing materials from one of the outposts, reported ANI citing the US daily. '110 Overseas - China's Transnational Policing Gone Wild' was released by Madrid-based Safeguard Defenders in September 2022. This was later followed by case studies of how such stations had been used in persuasion operations in Spain and Serbia.

These Chinese police outposts have been operating illegally in New York's Chinatown and as per the NYT reports, they have been investigating crimes and collecting intelligence without proper protocols. This investigative report was followed by a statement from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs that had admitted to these Chinese outpost operations in various countries even after having extradition treaties with those countries.

However, this investigative report widely shares the growing use of illegal extra-judicial mechanisms to return individuals to China against their will. Various forms of pressure would be exerted by the Chinese police officers such as the use of threats and harassment against family members back home or directly against the targeted individual abroad. Soon after the release of this investigative report and global media reporting, various governments announced actions.