The Shanghai Police have arrested Chairperson He Mei of Wailian Group (外联出国), Shanghai’s largest China-US immigration intermediary company. The arrest is part of an investigation into illegal foreign exchange transactions totaling over a billion RMB. In addition to He, four others have also been arrested.
Wailian Group has been a prominent firm in enabling emigration from China, facilitating quick approvals for various countries’ visas and residency permits.
Several people posted on the internet citing insiders, saying that the police demanded that He Mei hand over all information on clients for whom the firm has provided immigration services over the company’s several decades of operation. One tweet said that the authorities are targeting rich Chinese who have exited China but who still have a lot of property in the country. This would enable the local and national Chinese government to confiscate those valuable properties. Another social media post, seen on Chinese social media Weibo, speculated that the authorities may be aiming to collect information on emigration of lower-ranking government bureaucrats and their family members.
Source: Epoch Times, August 10, 2023.
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/23/8/10/n14051577.htm