After it became known that the Chinese government is running "police stations" around the world to control renegade compatriots, concern is also growing in the USA. The FBI chief warned that the situation was "outrageous." Charges have already been filed.
The United States is very concerned that the Chinese government is setting up unauthorized "police stations" in American cities, possibly through them to influence US citizens of Chinese descent. "We are aware of the existence of these stations," FBI Director Christopher Wray said at a hearing by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. "To me, it's outrageous that the Chinese police force is trying to establish itself in New York, without, shall we say, proper coordination. It violates sovereignty and circumvents normal processes of judicial-law enforcement cooperation."
In October, Republicans in the US House of Representatives demanded answers from the Biden government about the influence of such "police stations". When asked whether such stations violated US law, Wray said the FBI was reviewing "the legal parameters."
The United States has already filed some charges against the Chinese government, the FBI chief said. They deal with the harassment, persecution, surveillance and extortion of people living in the United States who disagree with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. "This is a real problem and something we are also talking about with our foreign partners because we are not the only country where this has happened," he said.
Earlier this month, following an investigation by Dutch authorities, the Chinese Foreign Ministry denied that such stations existed in the Netherlands. China said the offices are to help Chinese citizens renew documents.
Safeguard Defenders, a Europe-based human rights organization, released a report in September uncovering the presence of dozens of Chinese "police stations" in major cities around the world, including New York. The report said the stations are an extension of Beijing's efforts to pressure Chinese nationals or their families abroad to return to China and face charges there. The report also linked the "police stations" to the activities of the Communist Party, which is tasked with spreading them abroad. The Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
