Admin l Friday, December 9, 2022
BERLIN – According to German intelligence, there are two illegal Chinese police stations in the EU state, which primarily enable Chinese authorities to work abroad unauthorized and collect information.
This was confirmed by the German government in response to a written query by Bundestag member Joana Cotar, which was made available to dpa on Friday.
It is believed the offices are “organized on a personal and mobile basis,” according to the German government. “No permanent offices have been set up.”
The illegal police stations are “run by private individuals from the Chinese diaspora,” Chinese and German citizens, the federal government said.
A total of five regional officers, one of whom was said to be based in Berlin, offered Chinese individuals and Germans with Chinese ancestry legal advice and support with certifications and applications.
The motive was to collect information and spread propaganda. The assistance, mainly provided through online chats, was allegedly provided to thousands of people.
The German government is in communication with the Chinese embassy on the matter. According to the Interior Ministry, authorities “are vigorously pursuing all leads.”
The non-governmental organization Safeguard Defenders, which mainly deals with human rights violations in China, drew the attention of authorities after publishing a report on illegal Chinese police stations outside of its territory, in Germany and the Netherlands.
Among other things, the illegal police stations serve to persecute critics of the Chinese regime, according to Safeguard Defenders. Beijing has denied the allegations. Chinese agencies have no executive powers on German territory.
