A recent investigation report released by an international human rights organization highlights that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is expanding its network of illegal police operations and surveillance systems abroad through overseas Chinese community organizations. The report indicates that despite the exposure of clandestine Chinese police stations in 2022, the CCP has not retreated. Instead, it has concealed and expanded its network, with nearly 1,250 communities worldwide acknowledging their roles as liaison points for the CCP’s United Front Work Department.
According to the latest report from the non-governmental organization Safeguard Defenders, China has significantly increased its illegal overseas police station network by extending its reach through various new community associations. Currently, about 1,250 Chinese overseas organizations in 91 countries are suspected of acting as fronts for the CCP’s overseas policing operations.
These numbers represent a staggering twelve-fold increase compared to the results from the organization’s investigation four years ago. In 2022, Safeguard Defenders identified 100 illegal CCP police stations operational across more than 50 countries, including Canada.
In an interview with CTV News on November 6, Laura Harth, the China affairs director at Safeguard Defenders, expressed that this network is utilized to monitor overseas Chinese communities, observing what they do and say, effectively imposing policing control over them.
The latest report, titled “A Formula for Repression: China’s Global Grid for Community Control,” indicates that the CCP is exporting its domestic monitoring and control systems to Chinese communities around the world. Currently, there are more than 60 million Chinese citizens residing overseas.
Michael Kovrig, a senior advisor at the International Crisis Group, described this report as revealing an early-stage expansion of the CCP’s influence, aiming to affect the political choices of sovereign nations globally. Kovrig, a former Canadian diplomat who was arbitrarily detained by the CCP in 2018, noted that the shocking mechanisms uncovered by Safeguard Defenders have led to a gradual erosion of Canadians’ freedoms to express their views and vote according to their wishes.
Safeguard Defenders reported that these overseas Chinese community organizations are operated by CCP officials abroad, taking directives from Beijing’s United Front Work Department. CCP Chairman Xi Jinping has referred to the United Front Work Department as a “treasure” for monitoring and controlling citizens, regardless of their location.
The organization successfully identified 1,247 community points that have acknowledged their connections to CCP police and prosecutorial agencies on their websites or publications. The CCP claims there are “tens of thousands” of organizations linked to the United Front Work Department worldwide.
Harth further explained that instead of retracting its activities following past exposures, the CCP has become more adept at covering its tracks. “They have learned their lesson. Previously, they might have been too aggressive, even displaying their logos on the walls and doors of these overseas points. However, following the exposure by Safeguard Defenders in 2022 regarding their establishment of ‘overseas secret police stations’ for transnational repression, they have become more cautious, no longer naming specific collaborating organizations openly,” she remarked.
The report meticulously details how the CCP implements control through its global community networks. Researchers indicated that various public security departments from five Chinese provinces are operating through numerous Chinese associations overseas, creating a vast network.
These points publicly promote cultural exchanges among overseas Chinese and facilitate business and travel connections with various provinces and cities in China.
Safeguard Defenders listed 80 local organizations linked to the CCP’s law enforcement departments. In 2022, the organization had only identified four such organizations with police stations.
The group has warned that the CCP’s reach has extended into “every corner of daily life.”
In response to CTV News’s request for comment, the Chinese embassy in Ottawa firmly denied the allegations, asserting in an email, “China has repeatedly clarified its position, stating that there are no so-called ‘Chinese overseas police stations’.”
The report claimed that at least 18 Chinese overseas organizations in Canada are functioning as CCP police monitoring stations. These organizations may have multiple branches within the same city. In 2022, the organization uncovered five illegal CCP police stations in Canada.
However, the report cited further research by the Jamestown Foundation, a U.S. think tank, finding that Canada hosts 575 organizations linked to the CCP’s United Front Work Department.
New Democratic Party MP Jenny Kwan expressed deep concern over the allegations. In an open letter to Canada’s Minister of Public Safety, Kwan wrote, “If these accusations prove true, it would mean that the current government’s measures are insufficient to curtail these illegal activities.”
She continued, “Canada must close legal loopholes, investigate these activities, and ensure that community residents can speak, organize, and exercise their democratic rights without coercion, intimidation, or fear.”
Gary Anandasangaree, the Minister of Public Safety and Member of Parliament since 2015 representing a constituency with a significant Chinese population, emphasized the need for caution before jumping to conclusions.
“I can say that any form of foreign interference is unacceptable, and we will not tolerate it. As for these specific allegations, they currently remain allegations and have yet to be investigated,” Anandasangaree stated.
In 2023, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) concluded an investigation into two Chinese service centers in Montreal, accused of acting as CCP police stations, but ultimately no criminal charges were laid. The organizations involved are currently suing the federal government.
The police service of Jiangsu Province’s Nantong city had previously listed the locations and addresses of overseas police service centers online, including one center located in a shopping mall in Richmond, British Columbia.
Anandasangaree mentioned that law enforcement agencies would conduct due diligence and follow up on the information provided by the report while emphasizing that investigations must remain “detailed and prudent.”
He clarified that some organizations are actually social clubs or study groups that primarily provide community services for overseas Chinese members.
Harth pointed out that while some organizations promote recreational and cultural activities, others actively suppress different communities, including Tibetan and Uyghur groups participating in celebrations that the CCP disapproves of.
“We cannot allow an unworthy system to gain legitimacy… We need to start sending clear signals that such behavior will not be tolerated and warn the United Front Work Department,” she remarked.
CTV News inquired whether Anandasangaree had discussed with the Chinese embassy the registration of overseas Chinese community coordinators as foreign agents under the new Canadian foreign influence registration system that began in August. According to the law, unregistered foreign organizations could face fines ranging from CAD 250,000 to 1 million.
Anandasangaree stated that the educational work concerning these regulations should be the responsibility of various embassies, while ensuring compliance falls to Canada’s first Foreign Influence Transparency Commissioner, Anton Boegman.
He also expressed concern that the unverified numbers of organizations might present difficulties for the Chinese community.
“Of course, foreign interference is a concerning issue. On the other hand, mislabeling can unnecessarily instill fear in individuals and communities, which is equally concerning,” he said.
The Chinese embassy did not respond to further inquiries from CTV News regarding whether it had requested heads of overseas organizations to register under Canada’s newly established foreign influence registration system.
Among the most striking cases of illegal police stations occurred in New York City. In May 2026, U.S. citizen Lu Jianwang, also known as Harry Lu, a Fujianese community leader in New York, was convicted for establishing a secret police station to gather information on Chinese dissidents for Beijing.
In Canada, the RCMP indicated that it had investigated five alleged CCP police station cases in Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver but had not laid any criminal charges.
Rukiye Turdush, the executive director of the Center for East Turkistan National Interest, representing Uyghurs in Canada, described the alarming rise of CCP overseas police stations as “stunning and frightening,” though not surprising.
Having organized protests against human rights violations by the CCP in Xinjiang, she noted witnessing firsthand the oppressive measures the United Front Work Department employs against dissenters.
Turdush claimed that some Uyghur activists granted visas to visit China to see family have faced pressure to sign documents supporting CCP state laws.
“They return feeling scared… they hide and no longer dare to come to my organization,” she said.
This activist is also worried her organization may have been infiltrated by CCP personnel, aiming to undermine its leadership and monitor members.
“This is how the CCP divides communities. We no longer trust each other and feel unsafe,” she emphasized.
Safeguard Defenders’ latest data emerges just 11 months after Canadian Prime Minister and CCP Chairman Xi Jinping signed a new policing cooperation agreement. In January of this year, both leaders vowed that the RCMP would deepen cooperation with the Ministry of Public Security to combat corruption and transnational crimes, including telecom fraud, cybercrime, and the illegal trafficking of synthetic drugs.
Despite calls from both the Conservative and New Democratic parties to publicize the agreement details, Prime Minister failed to disclose the full text of the agreement.
Kovrig articulated that Canada should avoid signing this agreement, as the “political signals” it sends are concerning. This former diplomat noted the CCP’s record of arbitrary detention, executions, and the infliction of psychological and physical torture on detainees. Kovrig himself was detained by the CCP for over 1,000 days.
Canada does not have an extradition treaty with the CCP, yet Kovrig voiced that this agreement gives the impression that the RCMP and the CCP’s Ministry of Public Security are equal bodies adhering to similar norms and conduct codes.
“The reality is far from that. The RCMP would not establish fake police stations overseas to influence Canadians’ behavior nor engage in espionage abroad. We should demand transparency regarding this agreement. We need accountability and openness,” he asserted.