Incidents in Australia, USA, and the UK confirm that there is a coordinated international plan against those who criticize the CCP.
by Massimo Introvigne
Four different news items came in two days from different sources, and confirmed that the Beijing regime has a consistent and coordinated plan to keep under surveillance dissidents abroad. Some are kidnapped and forcibly brought back to China.
On May 12, Amnesty International published a research based on interviews with Chinese students in 24 leading universities in Europe and North America. The research concluded that “many international students from China are living and studying with the constant fear of being targeted under China and Hong Kong’s national security and intelligence laws and regulations, or otherwise being subjected to surveillance, harassment or intimidation by Chinese authorities or their agents in connection with the exercise of their human rights.” The continuous surveillance is proved by the fact that several interviewees reported that, within 24 hours from their attendance to events abroad the CCP does not approve of, such as commemorations of the Tiananmen massacre, their parents in China were summoned by the police and threatened.
The creation of a climate of fear, Amnesty International claims, has serious consequences for the some 900,000 young Chinese who study abroad. “This fear has a profound ‘chilling effect’ on student participation in academic life and work, compelling students to censor themselves in academic discussions, avoid perceived ‘sensitive’ topics—as viewed by Chinese authorities—in their studies, and decline careers in academia.”
Also on May 12, “Newsweek” revealed it had obtained hundreds of confidential documents proving that groups the CCP regards as subversive and anti-Chinese and anybody from Taiwan were excluded from the annual New York Asian-American Parade scheduled for May 15. The documents leave no doubt about the fact that Chinese agents decide who is and who is not allowed to participate, working in close connection with the office of New York Mayor Eric Adams and excluding what they call “controversial political and religious groups.”
According to “Newsweek,” “Adams attended the first two parades, marching at the front behind a red banner next to the Consul General of China, Huang Ping,” and to Democrat congresswoman from New York Grace Meng. This is not surprising, “Newsweek” said, as “Adams and some other top politicians have previously received campaign donations from members of groups linked to China’s ruling Communist Party.” Among those excluded are Tibetans and pro-democracy activists from Hong Kong, to which, according to information received by “Bitter Winter,” Falun Gong should also be added.
Again on May 12, the Australian ABC News’ TV show “Four Corners” aired a sensational interview with a Chinese intelligence agent nicknamed “Eric,” who defected in 2023. From 2008 to 2023, “Eric” worked for the Political Security Protection Bureau, or the 1st Bureau, of China’s National Security, in short, the secret police. He coordinated the kidnapping of Chinese refugees in Australia. Some were kidnapped there, others were lured to countries like Cambodia or Laos, where Chinese agents may work with the cooperation or at least the tolerance of the local intelligence. The interview caused a sensation in Australia. “Eric” also revealed that Chinese agents came to Australia posing as anti-Communist dissidents, obtained asylum, and infiltrated the refugee communities.
On May 13, in London, three men were arrested, then released on bail, and charged with espionage activities and harassment of Chinese refugees on behalf of the Beijing regime. They were Peter Wai Chi-Leung, a City of London Special Constable, Matthew Trickett, an immigration enforcement officer for the Home Office, and Bill Yuen, an office manager at the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London and a retired Hong Kong police officer. According to the charges, all were part of a high-level Chinese intelligence operation identifying and harassing refugees from China and Hong Kong since they arrived at London’s airports. Within hours, the Chinese Embassy in London was protesting the arrests and the “fabricated” charges, which was perhaps a mistake since it confirmed the close connection of the arrested men with China.
“Bitter Winter” released in 2019 a documentary movie, “The Long Arm of the Dragon,” documenting how refugees who had escaped China fleeing religious persecution, including members of The Church of Almighty God and Falun Gong practitioners, were harassed abroad. Five years later, the situation is getting worse.
