German authorities uncover two Chinese ‘Police Stations’

 

Authorities have verified that China has established at least two "police stations" in Germany, raising new concerns about the foreign locations that critics claim are used to persecute dissidents.

According to the interior ministry, the German setups are managed by private Chinese diaspora persons and lack permanent offices.

In response to a question from a lawmaker on Thursday, the ministry stated: "Chinese authorities have no executive authority on (German territory)."

"The Chinese embassy and the German government are in communication about this."

A Spanish-based NGO called Safeguard Defenders claimed earlier this year that China had established 54 overseas police stations around the world, some of which are used to target Chinese Communist Party opponents.

German legislator Joana Cotar, whose inquiry resulted in the material's release, referred to it as a "outright disgrace" that the government withheld the information until it was requested and that it "just accepts" the presence of the stations.

According to Cotar, a former MP for the extreme-right AfD party, "if they were to act according to the law, then these structures — however they look — would be dissolved immediately."

Liao Yiwu, a writer who was jailed in China for his critical writings, as well as Liu Xia, the wife of Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo, were among the renowned Chinese dissidents who fled to Germany.

The stations have been raising concerns across the globe.

China reportedly closed two such centres in Prague on Thursday, according to the Czech foreign ministry.

In October, Dutch authorities declared that they were looking into claims that at least two dissidents were being harassed by Beijing in the Netherlands.

Additionally, earlier this month, reports that China was establishing stations in the Toronto area prompted the summoning of Beijing's ambassador to Ottawa.

China has previously denied carrying out law enforcement operations abroad, claiming that its overseas "service stations" assist Chinese citizens with tasks like renewing their driver's licenses