China began to deploy secret police offices all over the world, even in Prague
China has deployed dozens of “overseas police services” around the world to monitor its citizens who reside abroad. There are a number of such stations in Europe, one of them is to be based in Prague, the paper wrote New York Post and other US media with reference to the NGO Safeguard Defenders. Detached police stations are supposed to operate in secret.
“These operations are inconsistent with official bilateral police and judicial cooperation, violate the international rule of law and may undermine the territorial integrity of third countries involved in the creation of a parallel police mechanism using illegal methods,” the list quotes the NGO’s report as saying Protective defenders.
The Police Presidium of the Czech Republic, or the Directorate for International Police Cooperation, in response to an inquiry by the Echo24 newspaper, replied that it does not officially register any activity related to the Chinese police on the territory of the Czech Republic.
The report goes on to detail extensive efforts to combat “fraud” allegedly committed by Chinese citizens overseas. The measures include police stations that have opened on five continents, including Europe, where China has stations located in London, Amsterdam, Budapest, Athens, Paris, Madrid, and Frankfurt in addition to Prague. North America is home to four Chinese stations, one in New York and three others in Toronto, Canada.
In total, there are reportedly at least 54 Chinese overseas police services in 30 different countries around the world, but he notes that the number is likely higher. Over the past year, they have been involved in operations that have convinced 230,000 Chinese citizens to return to China and face criminal prosecution.
The report also outlines potential rights violations, including the use of methods of harassment and intimidation, such as threatening family members of overseas nationals. The stations also served as a hub for the dissemination of Chinese government propaganda and monitored the behavior and opinions of Chinese citizens.