Chinese overseas police stations have not disappeared following international backlash, but have instead shifted their operations underground by utilizing diaspora associations and the Chinese Communist Party’s United Front networks across 91 countries, according to a report published by human rights organization Safeguard Defenders.
Back in 2022, international investigations exposed unauthorized overseas police outposts operating on foreign soil. Beijing assured foreign governments that these facilities would close. But as Linkiesta reported, the underlying infrastructure merely changed its shape, signage, and operational methods.
The new investigation, titled A Formula for Repression, maps nearly 1,250 connection points worldwide. Rather than operating out of standalone storefronts marked as police offices, the network now relies heavily on overseas Chinese federations, associations, and judicial branch proxies originally established to assist diaspora communities.
How the Wenzhou Model Adapted After 2022
The transformation of Beijing’s overseas control grid follows a clear institutional blueprint. Consider the city of Wenzhou in China’s Zhejiang province. Back in 2019, municipal authorities grouped police, procuratorates, courts, and judicial offices under the banner of “Global Link,” marketing the initiative as a streamlined administrative service for citizens living abroad.
When foreign governments cracked down on these outposts in 2022, the administrative machinery adapted rather than dissolved. In May 2024, the president of the Tangxia Federation publicly stated that he managed six international connection points spanning Paris, Milan, Prato, Genoa, Athens, and São Paulo. The official profile revealed that he helped local police establish an overseas Chinese liaison office inside a domestic police station. The official police signs on foreign doors may have vanished, but the personnel links remained intact.
| Metric | 2022 Disclosures | Current Infrastructure |
|---|---|---|
| Estimated Outposts / Points | Scattered individual stations | Nearly 1,250 connection points |
| Geographic Reach | Individual stations abroad | At least 91 countries |
| Primary Operational Vehicle | Directly branded police outposts | United Front associations and diaspora federations |
Italian Judicial System Exposes Transnational Intimidation Tactics
The Italian judicial system provides a concrete look at how this decentralized network operates on the ground. The case centers on Li Ying, a prominent online activist and influencer known widely as “Teacher Li.” Li built a massive digital following by documenting domestic protests and political dissent inside China.
Safeguard Defenders documented persistent attempts to intimidate the activist through local Italian intermediaries. When Li attempted to renew his passport, he was directed toward a Milanese association linked to the Wenzhou police network. Soon after, a leader from a Prato association that previously hosted a Chinese police station visited Li’s former address to seek him out.
By late October, the Milan Public Prosecutor’s office concluded its preliminary investigation into ten individuals accused of surveilling, persecuting, and threatening the activist. The inquiry, led by the Digos unit in Turin, established that a targeted campaign of intimidation followed Li even after his relocation to Piedmont. Four of the suspects face additional charges of criminal association, with investigators alleging they acted on behalf of the Chinese police while maintaining direct contact with diplomatic personnel and the United Front Work Department.
Investigators point to a complex digital and physical apparatus. One suspect residing in the Milan province allegedly coordinated local tracking efforts, while a Turin-based suspect recruited an operative via WeChat to locate Li, providing photographs and instructions and later asking that the conversations be deleted. Prosecutors also cited allegations of stalking and criminal threats.
The conclusion of a preliminary investigation does not equal an immediate trial. Defendants retain the right to submit defense briefs or request interrogatories before prosecutors decide on formal indictments.
What Remains Unresolved in Cross-Border Policing
The findings from Safeguard Defenders suggest that targeting standalone physical offices is insufficient to halt extraterritorial policing. Because the modern network relies on institutional relationships, diaspora associations, and digital channels like WeChat, foreign law enforcement faces significant hurdles in dismantling the apparatus entirely.
Safeguard Defenders argues that host countries must investigate the deeper structural ties linking diaspora organizations directly to Party organs. Protecting overseas communities from foreign pressure requires looking past mere exterior signage to examine the administrative conduits that persist beneath the surface.
