China closes 'secret police stations' across Britain, says UK minister

The government of the United Kingdom has directed China to close its secret police stations which have been operational on British soil, said Security Minister Tom Tugendhatin a written statement to parliament on Tuesday.

The Foreign Office has "told the Chinese Embassy that any functions related to such 'police service stations' in the UK are unacceptable and that they must not operate in any form," read the statement, further stating that the embassy has "responded that all such stations have closed permanently".

“The Chinese Embassy has subsequently responded that all such stations have closed permanently. Any further allegations will be swiftly investigated in line with UK law," the statement added.

Minister Tom Tugendhat further informed that as of now China has closed reported “police service stations” at various sites across the UK and that the investigation carried out by officials did not reveal any illegal activity by China at these sites.

Undeclared police stations “extremely concerning”: Britain

Previously, Britain had stated that undeclared police stations were “extremely concerning” in the country and that any intimidation on the soil of the country by China or any other state was unacceptable.

According toclaims made by the non-governmental human rights organisation Safeguard Defenders,police stationsoperating at three British sites were investigated by the British police, stated Tugendhat in a written statement to parliament.

As per the group, the police stations were officially established to provide administrative services but were used "to monitor and harass diaspora communities and, in some cases, to coerce people to return to China outside of legitimate channels", he said.

“I can confirm that they have not, to date, identified any evidence of illegal activity on behalf of the Chinese state across these sites. We assess that police and public scrutiny have had a suppressive impact on any administrative functions these sites may have had," he said.

"However, these 'police service stations' were established without our permission and their presence," Tugendhat stated.

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Two New York residents were arrested by US federal agents in April after they were caught allegedly operating a Chinese “secret police station” in the Chinatown district of Manhattan. China had stated that it strongly opposed what it called “the US’s slanders and smears".

The government of Britain has said that they have knowledge of around 100 such stations around the world.

Previously, the Chinese government stated centres are being run by local volunteers and not Chinese police officers outside China, which aim to assist Chinese citizens in renewing documents and offering other services.

(With inputs from agencies)

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