French media “Le Monde” reported on Tuesday (July 2) citing informed sources that two Chinese diplomats were asked to leave France because they attempted to forcibly repatriate a Chinese dissident back to China.
According to the report, the director and deputy director of the Chinese Ministry of State Security in Paris were expelled from the country. A source from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the incident, stating that the procedure was mutually agreed upon and not an official “unwelcome” process.
The report mentioned that the order came from the Élysée Palace in order to avoid triggering sensitive nerves of the Beijing regime, therefore, the order had to be kept secret.
The director and deputy director of the Chinese Ministry of State Security in Paris were accused of plotting an operation in March to forcibly repatriate a Chinese dissident.
The Chinese authorities claimed it was a misunderstanding, but it did not hold water.
On March 22, an unusual scene caught the attention of the National Border Police of the Charles de Gaulle Airport. Under the watch of police, a Chinese man was subdued by seven individuals, despite his resistance, all trying to take him to the boarding gate. French border police intervened and halted the forced repatriation plan. The rescued Chinese dissident was 26-year-old Ling Huazhan.
The entire incident was captured by the French media on the spot and broadcasted on television.
“Le Monde” stated that after investigation, it was revealed that the masterminds behind the kidnapping operation were the director and deputy director of the Chinese Ministry of State Security at the Chinese Embassy in Paris. They held diplomatic liaison officer positions in France, with official passports and diplomatic immunity.
Ling Huazhan detailed how Chinese secret agents threatened, bribed, detained, beat, and tortured him in France in an interview with New Tang Dynasty Television after his rescue.
“I urge the French government and law enforcement to lawfully arrest these Chinese spies and overseas Chinese police, and expel those who need to be expelled. I hope that internationally, there will be stronger efforts to combat overseas Chinese police of the Chinese Communist Party,” Ling Huazhan said.