Berlin Despite suspicions of espionage, China continues to operate its own police stations in Germany. The Federal Ministry of the Interior now concedes this in an answer to the written question from non-attached MP Joana Cotar.
The document, which is available to the Handelsblatt, mentions two “overseas police stations” that are headed by so-called “community leaders” of Chinese origin, some of whom have German citizenship. “These are people who have good contacts with the diplomatic missions of the People’s Republic of China and enjoy the trust of the Chinese security authorities,” the reply said.
The process is explosive. Because on November 3, 2022, the Federal Foreign Office had already requested the Embassy of the People’s Republic in Berlin to immediately end the activities of the police stations in a note verbale. “The federal government had already made it clear to the embassy that it would not tolerate violations of its sovereignty and is still in contact with the Chinese side on this,” said Foreign Secretary Andreas Michaelis in December in response to a parliamentary question.
In a letter of reply to the note verbale, the Chinese embassy assured that there were “no relevant activities” in connection with the “overseas police stations”, the Foreign Office said when asked.
China’s government recently denied the existence of Chinese “overseas police stations” in other countries, but admitted that there are “service stations” that support Chinese citizens with administrative processes, for example.
Interior Ministry speaks of unofficial institutions
Although German security authorities assume that the operators of the stations also help compatriots in contact with the authorities, they also spy on them. According to the Federal Ministry of the Interior, the tasks include, for example, “propagating ideological and political guidelines” and “collecting information about members of the diaspora”.
The ministry speaks of unofficial institutions and emphasizes that there are no diplomatic institutions that are legitimized by bilateral agreements. Rather, the “overseas police stations” are “informal outposts of local Chinese police units from typical emigrant regions of China, such as the coastal provinces of Fujian, Jiangsu and Zhejiang”.
>> Also read here: Surveillance in Germany – made in China
As the Handelsblatt reported, the police station problem is just the tip of the iceberg. The persecution and intimidation have happened in a variety of ways, including by phone or text directly from China, says Mareike Ohlberg, a senior fellow in the German Marshall Fund’s Asia program.
Politicians of the SPD and the CDU are now calling for tough action by the federal government. The SPD interior expert Sebastian Fiedler told the Handelsblatt that there should be “no tolerance whatsoever” for the police stations. Outside of the official diplomatic representations, i.e. the embassy and consulates, there is no room for other secret Chinese state representations. “I therefore assume that the Federal Foreign Office will now proceed to the next diplomatic level of escalation.”
The CDU foreign politician Roderich Kiesewetter also demanded consequences. “Such police stations clearly represent an intrusion into our security, which is why the federal government should intervene immediately and finally close them, as other countries such as the Netherlands or the Czech Republic have already done,” Kiesewetter told the Handelsblatt. “We must finally understand that China, with its increasingly aggressive approach, poses a threat to our rules-based order and our security.”
>> Also read here: How China intimidates its critics in Germany
Foreign police forces are generally not allowed in Germany and require approval. If foreign states carry out such operations without authorization, they act in violation of international law. Police stations made big headlines for the first time last fall.
The existence of 54 such stations in 30 countries on five continents had become public through a report by the human rights organization “Safeguard Defenders”. According to the organization’s research, there are indications that these police stations are targeting Chinese dissidents.
Experts warn that even if the police stations are completely closed, the Chinese state’s persecution of Chinese nationals in Germany will continue. “With this topic, it is important not only to focus on a structure under a specific name, but to look at the different ways in which Chinese security authorities on German territory monitor, pursue or try to intimidate Chinese citizens,” says Ohlberg, the Co-author of a comprehensive book on Chinese influence in Germany.
“We need to create more awareness among the German authorities so that those who want to get help can also get the support they need,” said Ohlberg.
More: Europe’s technology dispute with China is widening.