China Says Allegations of Secret Police Stations Are “Groundless”

China Says Allegations of Secret Police Stations Are

(ConservativeInsider.org) – Anyone with even a little bit of information about China knows that its leaders use a variety of means to crack down on dissent and pro-democracy movements. While much of this happens within the nation’s borders, it seems the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be setting up operations in other nations in an attempt to crack down on its nationals who speak out against their home government. US law enforcement recently arrested two men allegedly working for the CCP at a secret police station in New York City.

On Monday, April 17, American authorities arrested 61-year-old “Harry” Lu Jianwang and 59-year-old Chen Jinping. They are accused of setting up and running a police station where they offer expected services, such as renewing Chinese driver’s licenses, but also more sinister roles, such as spying on Chinese nationals who may be working to undermine the communist government. The Department of Justice said the two men were working on the orders of a Chinese government official.

On Tuesday, April 18, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said, “the relevant claims have no factual basis, and there is no such thing as an overseas police station,” according to the Associated Press.

This is not the first instance of such accusations against China and its authoritarian regime, although it is the first time charges were brought against people in the scheme. A non-government group in Spain called Safeguard Defenders published a report in 2022 saying that Chinese police had at least 54 offices around the world meant to silence dissenters. Both Ireland and The Netherlands have investigated alleged Chinese police stations in their countries.

From police stations and spies to populating American teenagers’ TikTok feeds with strange videos, the Chinese Communist Party is clearly trying to push its influence internationally. As authorities have now charged two New Yorkers with secretly working for the CCP, there could be similar charges announced soon in other cities and towns across the US as our government seeks to minimize the international influence on our citizens.

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