Recently disclosed by France’s domestic intelligence agency, the General Directorate for Internal Security (DGSI), it has been revealed that at least 9 secret police stations of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) are operating within the country, used for cross-border repression, primarily carried out by undercover agents to monitor, intimidate, and coerce Chinese dissidents residing overseas.
According to reports from French media, the DGSI has successfully shut down these police stations, but CCP agents continue to operate in the form of Chinese associations, conducting spy activities for the CCP’s Ministry of State Security.
A prominent Chinese dissident, Lin Huazhan, narrowly escaped being forcibly returned to China by CCP agents in France last year. The incident, which was extensively covered by the French media, sparked public outrage and drew attention from the French political sphere.
Constance Le Grip, a member of the French Parliament from the ruling “Renaissance” party, raised concerns about the “activities and operations” of CCP secret police stations within France in a written inquiry to the Ministry of the Interior in November last year.
In a report by the French magazine “Challenges” last week, Le Grip finally received a response from the Ministry of the Interior in early June, providing detailed actions taken by the DGSI to counter CCP interference.
In a previous interview with New Tang Dynasty Television, the incident involving Lin Huazhan dates back to March last year when seven CCP operatives tried to forcibly escort the 26-year-old to Guangzhou from Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport. Just before boarding, Lin Huazhan managed to escape after retrieving his confiscated passport from the CCP.
The entire episode was closely documented by “Challenges” magazine and France 2 television, exposing the cross-border suppression actions of CCP secret police within France.
In September 2022, the non-governmental organization “Safeguard Defenders” based in Spain released a report listing secret CCP police stations established by Beijing across five continents. The organization estimated that over 100 overseas police stations were set up by the CCP in 53 countries globally, with similar operations existing in European countries such as Germany, Italy, Croatia, Serbia, and Romania.
According to an informant, when the DGSI was initially informed of the report by “Safeguard Defenders” in 2022, they were not overly concerned. However, upon realizing that the CCP embassy was behind these actions, the intelligence agency began to perceive the situation as serious.
At the end of 2023, the DGSI summoned CCP representatives, demanding the closure of the police stations.
The Ministry of the Interior revealed that one CCP intelligence representative and two CCP embassy diplomats were called in by the DGSI and urged by the French authorities to comply with bilateral cooperation norms. The Ministry of Public Security of China was also cautioned. Despite temporarily suspending the operations of the secret police stations, Beijing refused France’s request to expel CCP agents.
Overseas CCP police stations started appearing in 2016, with Nantong Public Security Bureau and Wenzhou Public Security Bureau pioneering the initiative. Subsequently, Qingtian County Public Security Bureau took similar actions in 2018.
“Safeguard Defenders” indicated that these overseas police stations circumvent official bilateral police and judicial cooperation, highlighting the growing concerns of CCP’s “transnational repression” and “long-arm policing.”
Laura Harth, the director of operations at “Safeguard Defenders,” stated that these overseas police stations are just the tip of the iceberg in CCP’s larger “transnational repression activities.”
The DGSI described these secret police stations as an “extension” of CCP police stations overseas under the Ministry of Public Security. These stations consist of so-called “liaison officers” appointed by designated individuals or associations.
Although CCP’s spy activities have been blocked by the French authorities, they swiftly adjusted their strategies.
As reported by “Challenges” magazine, Beijing is far from giving up in this regard. For French intelligence agencies, the game is far from over.
The Ministry of the Interior in France pointed out that although CCP secret police stations no longer exist, it does not mean that CCP has ceased monitoring and pressuring dissidents. Evidently, there are still undercover agents working on behalf of the Chinese embassy or the Ministry of Public Security.