According to research by RTL Nieuws and Follow the Money, China has illegal police stations in Amsterdam and Rotterdam. There is also strong evidence that Chinese police are monitoring displaced persons through these offices and may be pressuring them.

The office in Amsterdam was opened in 2018 by a police force from the Lishui region, writes RTL Nieuws. The Rotterdam branch is said to have been open since the beginning of this year, housed in a nondescript porch and managed by the Fuzhou city police. Both Lishui and Fuzhou are in eastern China, where many Chinese Dutch have roots.

China has never informed the Dutch government of the existence of the agencies, which RTL Nieuws describes as an “overseas service station”. Chinese Dutch nationals can renew their Chinese driving licenses and report civil status changes here, the news website writes. Things like passport extensions are usually owned by an embassy or consulate.

In addition, the agencies should seek contact with Chinese refugees who have criticized the Chinese government. According to RTL Nieuws, Chinese government websites and news platforms state that the offices are intended to facilitate the work of the Chinese police abroad and to collect information, among other things.

“Just a service office”

Escaped dissident Wang Jingyu, who is under arrest warrant in China, was reportedly called earlier this year by someone who says he worked for the Chinese police station in Rotterdam. “He asked me to go back to China to solve my problems,” Wang told RTL Nieuws. “He also told me to think about my parents.” He is said to have later received apps with swear words from a telephone number in the Rotterdam office.

The heads of the police stations do not answer questions from RTL Nieuws and the Chinese embassy says it does not know about the existence of the offices. Lishui police deny having a police station in Amsterdam to the news outlet. “It’s just a service bureau for overseas Chinese.”

The Foreign Ministry will investigate the activities of Chinese police stations in the Netherlands, a spokesman told NOS. “These types of agencies are illegal.” The spokesman also says the ministry is receiving signals from the Chinese community in the Netherlands that people are being intimidated. Whether the offices in Amsterdam and Rotterdam are involved is being examined.