CHINA has been accused of operating a “secret police base” in Glasgow that targets critics of the regime.
According to a report from the Spanish-based NGO, Safeguard Defenders, public security bureaus from two Chinese provinces have established a global network of outposts which conduct “persuasion operations” to coerce dissidents to return home.
Their report says there are 54 "overseas police service centres" across five continents and 21 countries, including two in London and the one in Glasgow.
The group says these overseas stations are often embedded in overseas Chinese community associations.
One document seen by The Herald suggests the Glasgow-based unit is located on Sauchiehall Street at the same address as a popular Chinese restaurant.
Officials in the Netherlands have now ordered an investigation. They say outposts in Amsterdam and Rotterdam are clearly operating illegally.
The Chinese foreign ministry has rejected the allegations. They say the 110 Overseas units are about tackling transnational crime and conducting administrative duties, such as the renewal of drivers' licences.
Under Xi Jinping, Beijing has moved to crack down on what little freedoms Chinese people had, forcing many into exile.
In Hong Kong, thousands have fled to Britain.
Earlier today, the China Research Group of MPs said the government needed to investigate as a "matter of urgency."
"The Home Office must launch an investigation to shed more light on the activities of these police stations and whether they are illegally operating in the UK.
"A Chinese government official reportedly admitted the role of these stations in ‘pressuring criminals’ to return to China. These ‘criminals’ could be Hong Kongers, Uyghurs, dissidents — or indeed anyone else who has dared to criticise the Chinese Communist Party.
“Formal investigations are now under way by governments in the US, Canada, Spain, Ireland, Germany, and now the Netherlands. It’s important that we don’t become an international laggard in dealing with this sort of malign interference.”
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