China’s model to control dissent and restrict information flow is on the move around the world.

By Gordon Corera | Published by The Sunday Times

Summary

Compared to Russia, Western intelligence sources note distinctions in China’s covert activities. While Russia tends to focus on sowing division and creating chaos, China’s objectives lean more towards control and management of narratives. This has led to the development of an extensive surveillance apparatus within China, aimed at monitoring dissent and regulating the flow of information. This model of surveillance and influence is now being exported globally, raising concerns about the extent of Chinese infiltration into Western societies.

The targeting of individuals and their families highlights the personal and far-reaching consequences of these activities, including interrogating family members, issuing bounties, and harassing and intimidating Chinese nationals and students abroad. Targets in Britain of Chinese Communist Party tactics to control them say the country has not been doing enough to clamp down on this activity, compared to the United States.

The exposure of Chinese police operatives working from “overseas police stations” in various countries, including the United States, have raised concerns about China’s use of such establishments for surveillance purposes under the guise of providing diplomatic services to Chinese citizens abroad. While similar actions have not been reported in the UK, the presence of these outposts underscores the Chinese Communist Party’s efforts to extend its surveillance capabilities beyond its borders.

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