Following the release of a report by the human rights organization Safeguard Defenders in September 2022, probes were launched by several countries into the activities of the “overseas police stations” established by China worldwide. These investigations uncovered that the Chinese government had been utilizing these stations to conduct surveillance on its citizens residing in foreign countries, including Europe and the US. Additionally, dissidents were subjected to threats, intimidation, and coercion to force their return to China.
It’s been a big problem in Canada where these stations dictate what does and doesn’t go in the local papers, who gets to run for public office from the Chinese community, and where funds get spent… mostly by pressuring Chinese Canadians by reminding them of relatives still living in China.