A new report by Spain-based human rights organization Safeguard Defenders alleges that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is expanding its overseas surveillance and influence network through Chinese community associations, extending its domestic system of monitoring and control to Chinese communities abroad.
Titled A Formula for Repression: China’s Global Grid for Community Control, the report says Beijing did not abandon its overseas policing operations after alleged secret police stations were exposed in 2022. Instead, it has made the network more discreet while expanding its reach through community organizations.
Safeguard Defenders identified 1,247 overseas Chinese associations in 91 countries that allegedly served as liaison points for Chinese police and procuratorial authorities—nearly 12 times the number identified in its 2022 investigation, which found 100 suspected illegal police stations in more than 50 countries.
Laura Harth, the organization’s China director, told CTV News on Nov. 6 that the network is used to monitor overseas Chinese communities, including their activities and speech, effectively extending Chinese police control beyond China’s borders.
The report says the associations are operated by CCP personnel overseas and directed by the party’s United Front Work Department. Police departments in more than a dozen jurisdictions across five Chinese provinces allegedly use overseas Chinese federation offices to maintain the network.
Although these associations publicly promote cultural exchanges and business and tourism ties with China, the report identifies 80 local groups allegedly linked to Chinese law-enforcement agencies, compared with just four in 2022. Harth said Chinese authorities have become more cautious about publicly acknowledging their overseas partners since the earlier exposure. Source: Epoch Times, November 8, 2026
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/26/11/6/n14884831.htm