Police carried out an investigation into allegations of unofficial Chinese police stations operating on British soil to allegedly monitor and harass diaspora communities and, in some cases, force people to return to China outside the legitimate channels.
The Foreign Office has informed the Chinese Embassy that “any function related to such police stations in the UK is unacceptable and they should not operate in any way. The Chinese Embassy subsequently responded that all such police stations were permanently closed,” it says. Tugendhat in a written statement sent to Parliament.
The Secretary of State’s notification indicates that investigations by the non-governmental organization “Safeguard Defenders” revealed that there were three Chinese police stations in the United Kingdom, in Croydon and Hendon (both in London) and in Glasgow (Scotland), but that there were complaints from a fourth, in Belfast.
“These stations were set up without our permission and their presence, regardless of whatever low-level administrative activity they were conducting, will have worried and intimidated those who left China in search of safety and freedom here in the UK,” the secretary’s note added. of State.
Chinese authorities regularly criticize other countries for what they see as meddling in their internal affairs, but “they felt able to open unattributed sites without consulting the UK government,” says Tugendhat.
