Secret Chinese language ‘police stations’ to be investigated round Britain – POLITICO

LONDON — The British authorities will step up work to stop “transnational repression” as police examine stories of undeclared Chinese language “police stations” across the nation, the U.Ok. safety minister mentioned.

The Chinese language authorities has reportedly arrange undeclared “police stations” in three U.Ok. places — two in London, in Hendon and Croydon, and one in Glasgow — to harass political dissidents. Beijing has additionally reportedly established comparable facilities in different European international locations, together with Eire and the Netherlands.

Talking within the Home of Commons Tuesday, Safety Minister Tom Tugendhat mentioned such actions “should be stopped,” stressing it might be “unacceptable” for any overseas authorities to try to function a safety equipment upon U.Ok. shores.

“Reviews of undeclared police stations in the UK are after all extraordinarily regarding and will probably be taken very significantly. Any overseas nation working in United Kingdom soil should abide by U.Ok. regulation,” he mentioned. “Any makes an attempt to illegally repatriate any particular person is not going to be tolerated.”

Chinese language officers haven’t denied the existence of such services, however say they exist purely to offer bureaucratic companies to Chinese language residents and don’t contain police operations.

One of many two alleged police stations in London is registered as an property company, whereas the venue in Glasgow is a Chinese language restaurant.

Tugendhat mentioned the upcoming Nationwide Safety Invoice, presently being scrutinized within the Commons, will strengthen the U.Ok. authorities’s powers to cope with “transnational repression, coercion, harassment or intimidation linked to a overseas energy.”

“It’s clear that we will and should do extra. I’ve subsequently requested officers to step up the work to make sure that our method to transnational repression is strong and I’ve requested our division to assessment our method to transnational repression as a matter of urgency,” Tugendhat added.

Spanish civil rights group Safeguard Defenders claims that Chinese language police forces have been operating “abroad police service stations” in “dozens of nations” throughout 5 continents since 2018.