During a U.S. congressional body hearing on September 12, the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) transnational repression was brought into the spotlight. Witnesses, including lawmakers and dissidents, testified before the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC), a bipartisan and bicameral panel. Rep. Chris Smith highlighted the CCP’s coercive campaign against anyone who disagrees with the party. He mentioned a sculpture in California that depicted Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s head morphing with a Coronavirus molecule, which led to three Chinese agents plotting to destroy the artwork and spy on the artist. Sen. Jeff Merkley described the disturbing number of uncovered cases related to the CCP’s transnational repression.
Sen. Jeff Merkley introduced a bill called the Transnational Repression Policy Act earlier this year, along with Sens. Marco Rubio, Ben Cardin, and Bill Hagerty. The bill aims to hold foreign governments and individuals accountable for stalking, intimidating, or assaulting people across borders. Yana Gorokhovskaia from think tank Freedom House stated that the Chinese regime accounted for around 30 percent of all incidents of physical transnational repression recorded by their organization. She emphasized that China is conducting a sophisticated and comprehensive campaign to silence those who criticize the CCP.
Canadian member of Parliament Michael Chong shared his experience of being targeted by the Chinese regime. Chong, who has criticized the CCP’s repression, discovered that a Chinese diplomat had gathered information to target him and his family in Hong Kong. He also faced an online disinformation campaign likely orchestrated by the CCP. Chong stated that his experience is just one case of Beijing’s interference in Canada, and many other cases go unreported and unnoticed.
Another revelation brought attention to Chinese police stations operating in foreign countries. Safeguard Defender, a human rights group, released a report showing that more than 100 police outposts were operated in 53 countries, including four in the United States. Laura Harth from Safeguard Defender explained that these facilities were the result of cooperation between China’s public security authorities and overseas groups tied to the CCP’s united front system. The Chinese regime claimed these police outposts were for routine tasks, but evidence suggests they are involved in operations to persuade people to return to China. Two individuals operating an outpost in New York City were arrested by the FBI for monitoring and intimidating Chinese dissidents.
These police stations are linked to the CCP’s transnational scheme called Operation Fox Hunt, which aims to repatriate the regime’s targets back to mainland China. The CCP has claimed to have brought back nearly 12,000 people under Fox Hunt and Operation Sky Net. These operations use methods such as coercion, kidnapping, and intimidation of family members to force individuals to return to China. Democratic countries are urged to recognize transnational repression as a domestic threat and take measures to address it. The efforts of the CCP infringe on fundamental freedoms, violate the rights and due process of individuals, and undermine the sovereignty of other nations.