Dutch government investigating reports Chinese police operate illegally in Netherlands to silence critics

‘At least two offices’ operating as ‘overseas service stations’ for Chinese-Dutch citizens to renew driving licences serve as fronts, say local media
Similar development playing out in Canada, where federal law enforcement is ‘investigating reports of criminal activity’ involving such stations

China-EU relations

Finbarr Berminghamin Brussels

Published: 2:00am, 27 Oct 2022

Why you can trust SCMP

The Dutch government is looking into reports that Chinese police forces are operating illegally in the Netherlands and attempting to intimidate critics of Beijing.

An investigation by two Dutch media outlets, RTL Nieuws and Follow the Money, found that “at least two offices” had been opened by Chinese police without telling the Dutch authorities.

The branches reportedly operate under the moniker of “overseas service stations” where Chinese-Dutch citizens can renew their Chinese documentation, such as driving licences.

However, the publications found that these were fronts for police offices opened by the regional forces of Lishui and Fuzhou, which have contacted and threatened critics of the Chinese government living in the Netherlands, asking them to return to China.

The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it was “now investigating the activities of the so-called police centres”.

“When we have more clarity about this, appropriate action will be taken. It is true that we have not been informed about the centres through diplomatic channels,” a statement read.

“There are regular signals from the Dutch-Chinese community of intimidation and threats in relation to their opinion or activities with regard to their country of origin. Dutch citizens who feel intimidated or threatened by the activities of another state actor can always report this to the police,” it continued.

The Chinese embassy in Amsterdam did not respond to a request for comment. Speaking at a regular press briefing in Beijing on Wednesday, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Wang Wenbin called allegations in the Dutch media reports “simply untrue”.

The offices in question, Wang said, were “overseas Chinese service centres” for citizens “unable to return to China in time for services such as renewing their driving licence”.

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The media reports stemmed from research by Safeguard Defenders, a civil-rights group based in Spain. The report claimed there were 54 such “overseas service centres” located in 42 cities across 30 countries.

Last week, El Correo, a newspaper in Spain’s Basque region, reported that the Spanish Ministry of the Interior was investigating allegations of nine overseas service centres in the country, the most of any country listed.

Earlier this month, the Irish Times reported that the government there was investigating the presence of a Fuzhou overseas police operation in Dublin.

Government ministers were quizzed on the stations, the newspaper reported, with foreign minister Simon Coveney saying the issue had been raised with the Chinese embassy by his staff and that “discussions are ongoing”.

A similar development is playing out in Canada, where federal law enforcement officials announced they were “investigating reports of criminal activity in relation to the so-called ‘police’ stations”.

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The Royal Canadian Mounted Police “takes threats to the security of individuals living in Canada very seriously and is aware that foreign states may seek to intimidate or harm communities or individuals within Canada”, the federal police force said.

The RCMP statement follows a Canadian parliamentary hearing earlier this month discussing three stations identified in Toronto neighbourhoods by Safeguard Defenders.

The reports come at a moment when public mood in Europe and Canada is already souring towards China, the Netherlands included.

The Dutch Parliament was among those to have voted to declare the alleged Chinese government abuses of Uygur Muslims in Xinjiang as “genocide” last year.

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A survey published last year by Nanos for Canadian national newspaper The Globe and Mail found that 87 per cent of Canadians support or somewhat support Canada joining with the United States, Britain and Australia “to contain China’s growing power”.

That poll was conducted the week after the US secured the release of Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, who had been arrested for espionage after Huawei Technologies CFO Meng Wanzhou was detained by Canadian authorities at the request of the US government.

Analysts said the police stations affair was unlikely to improve perceptions.

“This is bad for the image of China in the Netherlands, which has deteriorated in recent years,” said Frans-Paul van der Putten, a researcher and founder of ChinaGeopolitics, a Dutch advisory business.

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They also come amid renewed scrutiny over Chinese government operations in Europe.

Video footage this month appeared to show a Hong Kong protester being dragged into the Chinese consulate in Manchester, England, following a pro-democracy protest that descended into violent scenes.

British MPs accused Consul General Zheng Xiyuan of being involved, but Zheng denied attacking the protester.

Manchester police were investigating the incident, with the British government saying it hoped Beijing would waive any diplomatic immunity should officials or diplomats be found to have broken the law.

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Bart Groothuis, a member of the European Parliament and former head of the Dutch cybersecurity bureau, said the various reports and incidents showed an EU-wide rethink on dealing with Beijing.

“We need a new foreign policy instrument for the EU,” he said.

“Every intelligence agency in Europe has publicly concluded that China has an offensive espionage programme concerning intellectual property theft and even intimidation of their diaspora in Europe; it is not just about these police stations.

“I want new policies for Brussels against countries with such espionage programmes to restrict their access to visa[s], foreign direct investments, hard- and software sales, [and] academic cooperation in Europe,” Groothuis added.

Additional reporting by Bochen Han and Robert Delaney in Washington