QUICKLOOK: Chinese "secret police station" in Manhattan's Chinatown (SAFE HOUSES)

Video debrief: Arrests come as U.S. probes into attempts at "transnational repression" by China and other adversaries.

Introduction:

On April 18, 2023, the United States Department of Justice announced charges against 40 Chinese individuals in three different cases, each of which revolves around the alleged efforts of China’s Ministry of Public Security (MPS) to intimidate, harass, and censor critics of China overseas. This marks a significant development in the Department of Justice’s efforts to investigate attempts at “transnational repression” by U.S. adversaries like China and Iran to intimidate political opponents living in the United States.

Event Summary:

Of the 40 defendants in the sprawling indictments, only the two New York-based MPS officers, Liu Jianwang and Chen Jinping, have been arrested. The two men are accused of running a front for the MPS in an unassuming building in downtown New York City. The hidden operation, US officials say, was devoted to hunting down and intimidating Chinese dissidents. Prosecutors describe how Lu allegedly participated in pro-China protests, harassed a Chinese national living in the US, and aided in the Chinese government’s investigation of a Chinese pro-democracy activist living in California.

In another case, the prosecutors announced new charges against a group of MPS officers and staff of China’s “cyberspace administration,” alleging that they had infiltrated the operations of a US tech company to disrupt videoconferences held by Chinese dissidents abroad. And in a third case, 34 MPS officers were charged with running a massive online troll farm that flooded social media platforms with fake accounts spewing disinformation and harassment.

Prosecutors say that the troll farm of 34 MPS officers—based inside China, though prosecutors didn’t reveal where—is part of a group known as the 912 Special Project Working Group, which they say is devoted to online harassment and disinformation. According to the US Department of Justice, the 912 group posted pro-Chinese disinformation and bombarded critics of China with intimidating messages on Twitter and other platforms.

Assessment:

The charges announced by the U.S. Department of Justice reveal how China’s Ministry of Public Security (MPS) has engaged in a multi-front campaign to extend the reach and impact of its authoritarian system into the United States and elsewhere around the world. It shows the Chinese government's efforts to globalize the oppressive tactics used domestically in China to silence dissent. The presence of such police stations in U.S. cities violates sovereignty and circumvents law enforcement cooperation. The cases announced on April 18, 2023, are part of a larger response to the growing outrage at the Chinese government’s attempts to police the Chinese diaspora around the world. More than 100 undercover Chinese police stations have been discovered across the globe, raising alarms among leaders in several countries.

Conclusion:

The US Department of Justice's efforts to investigate attempts at "transnational repression" by US adversaries, such as China and Iran, to intimidate political opponents living in the United States have led to the arrest and charging of 40 Chinese individuals in three different cases. The charges against the Chinese police officers reveal how the security forces of Chinese President Xi Jinping's administration now seek to exert influence and repress critics wherever they are based around the world, with no limits to that reach, be it digital or physical. This marks a significant development in the ongoing geopolitical tensions between the United States and China and highlights the challenges faced by the Chinese diaspora living abroad. The charges filed by the Department of Justice against the Chinese Ministry of Public Security officers demonstrate a brazen attempt to extend China's authoritarian system beyond its borders, including the use of safe houses to track and intimidate Chinese dissidents living in the United States. These charges are a clear indication of the extent to which China is willing to go in its campaign to silence its critics and suppress free speech, including through espionage and cyberattacks. It is imperative that the US government and its allies take strong action to hold China accountable for its actions and protect the rights of those living within their jurisdictions. The discovery of more than 100 undercover Chinese police stations around the world underscores the need for increased vigilance and action to counter China's efforts to expand its reach and influence.