China denies operating 'secret police stations' abroad as South Korea & Japan launch probe

The Chinese government has denied operating a "secret police station" in South Korea to monitor and intimidate Chinese nationals in an effort to maintain Beijing's influence over them, as per a report from South China Morning Post. A spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry on Thursday stated that China adheres to the principle of non-interference in other countries' internal affairs, follows international law, and respects the judicial sovereignty of all countries. Some time ago, a Spain based human rights group named Safeguard Defenders had claimed that China was operating police stations in 53 countries, including in South Korea and Japan. 

“China has always adhered to the principle of non-interference in other countries’ internal affairs, strictly observed international law and respected the judicial sovereignty of all countries,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said in a press conference. “The so-called ‘overseas police stations’ simply do not exist.”

According to the report, the United Front Work Department, a Chinese Communist Party body that coordinates influence operations in China and abroad, operates these police stations. The report also accused the agency of using overseas Chinese residents to control other ethnic Chinese people living in the same country, and hiring Chinese students in South Korea and other countries as "overseas liaison officers" to cooperate with domestic officers. Authorities in South Korea have started investigating the matter, which very well could be a violation of international law. 

South Korea & Japan are investigating the presence of these stations 

Authorities in South Korea have raised suspicions about a Chinese restaurant in the south of the city, operated by a Chinese entity. The Chosun newspaper reported that counter-espionage authorities are concerned about the restaurant due to its parent company's suspicious profit flow and sudden announcement that it would suspend operations after the publication of a report by Safeguard Defenders, a human rights group. The Chinese embassy in Seoul issued a statement denying the allegations and stating that Chinese police and prosecution have been maintaining high-level cooperation with their Korean counterparts. 

The Dutch in the Netherlands have reportedly already discovered two such stations and these two stations have been closed down. According to Yomiuri Shimbun, authorities in Japan believe there are two such stations in Japan. The Foreign Ministry of Japan has already launched a formal protest with Beijing and issued a warning stating that if these police stations are discovered, they won't be tolerated. The FBI is investigating the presence of such stations in the US as well.