According to a report from a Spain-based nonprofit, China has set up "overseas police service centers" worldwide, including in New York City.

Karah Rucker Anchor/Reporter

China establishes police centers in New York City, other major cities

Oct 14, 2022

Karah Rucker Anchor/Reporter

By Karah Rucker (Anchor/Reporter), Ben Burke (Producer)

According to a report from the Spain-based nonprofit Safeguard Defenders initially published last month, China has set up dozens of “overseas police service centers” worldwide, including in New York City. As of last month, the only other North American center is in Toronto, with the bulk of the centers concentrated in 16 European countries including Britain, France, Spain and Germany. However, updates to the report earlier this month have the total number of cities affected up from 54 initially to more than 80.

The centers provide assistance to Chinese nationals residing abroad in handling paperwork, including Chinese driver’s licenses and other official documents. Chinese state media indicated in reports that some of these centers have also performed operations in collaboration with the Chinese police.

“In general, these stations have both a good and a bad purpose,” Safeguard Defenders Director Peter Dahlin was quoted as saying. “They are there to help say Chinese tourists who get into trouble, they can act as a liaison with the local police, they can help out, basically. The problem is they are not properly registered as [agents for the police] in these different countries.”

The police centers caught the attention of some American politicians, who demanded to know how China was able to set up one in New York City. 21 lawmakers sent a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Attorney General Merrick Garland last week. “There should be no room for the Chinese government to exercise extraterritorial law enforcement unilaterally on U.S. soil,” the letter read. “The Chinese overseas police service station established in New York City earlier this year appears to be a further step of China’s illicit long arm policing on U.S. soil that violates our sovereignty.”

The letter came just days before the Biden administration unveiled its national security strategy vision, establishing China as the top threat to domestic national security. A day after that, a rare protest in Beijing sparked an online hunt for the mystery protester’s identity, as well as praise for the action.

Yahoo News, NextShark, Australian Broadcasting Corp. News and BBC News contributed to this report.

Tags: Antony Blinken, China, Merrick Garland, New York City

THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION NAMED CHINA THE TOP THREAT FOR AMERICA THIS WEEK.
THE F-B-I SAID CHINA IS THE NUMBER ONE THREAT TO **DOMESTIC NATIONAL SECURITY…
YET ACCORDING TO NEW REPORTS…A SECTOR OF THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT HAS ALREADY OPENED OFFICE IN THE U.S.
HERE’S WHAT’S BEING REPORTED.
CHINESE POLICE HAVE ESTABLISHED A PRESENCE IN NEW YORK CITY.
A POLICE STATION BELONGING TO THE CHINESE POLICE…UNDER THE CHINESE REGIME…IS OPEN AND OPERATIONAL.
REPUBLICAN LAWMAKERS ALERTED TO THE DISCOVERY HAVE TURNED TO THE HEADS OF THE U.S. GOVERNMENT FOR ANSWERS.
IT’S APPARENTLY SOMETHING HAPPENING AROUND THE WORLD.
SOME REPORTS HAVE CHINESE POLICE STATIONS POPPING UP IN MORE THAN 80 CITIES WORLDWIDE.
CHINA…SAYS IT’S NOTHING TO BE WORRIED ABOUT —
THAT THE STATIONS SERVE AS AN OUTREACH FOR CHINESE CITIZENS WHO MIGHT HAVE NEEDS LIKE RENEWING PASSPORTS OR LICENSES.
BUT HUMAN RIGHTS GROUPS SAY THESE STATIONS COULD BE USED TO MANIPULATE THE PEOPLE WHO FLED FROM CHINA.
AND THE LAWMAKERS WRITE IT’S CHINA’S WAY TO LONG ARM POLICING ABROAD.
THEY’VE ASKED THE SECRETARY OF STATE AND ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR ANSWERS AND A RESPONSE BY NEXT WEEK.