By Wang Li, Vision Times
French authorities have located and taken down nine alleged Chinese “secret police stations” operating across the country and ordered the expulsion of three Chinese nationals accused of helping oversee the network, according to an investigation published by Le Monde on June 18.
French counterintelligence officials say the facilities, which allegedly operated under the cover of hometown associations, chambers of commerce, and other community organizations, were used to collect intelligence, monitor members of the Chinese diaspora, and pressure critics of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) living in France and other parts of Europe.
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Intelligence gathering and surveillance
According to Le Monde, citing information from France’s Interior Ministry and judicial investigators, the investigation began after an incident at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport in March 2024. Authorities say 26-year-old Chinese dissident Lin Huazhang was nearly forced onto a flight bound for China before French police intervened, prompting a broader counterintelligence investigation that lasted nearly a year.
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The inquiry ultimately identified nine locations across Paris and several other French cities that authorities believe were linked to China’s overseas policing network. Investigators allege that some of the operations were concealed within organizations associated with Fujian hometown associations and other Chinese community groups.
French security officials say the network’s activities extended beyond providing community services. Instead, authorities believe it monitored overseas Chinese communities, gathered politically sensitive information, identified critics of the Chinese government, and supported so-called “persuasion to return” campaigns aimed at pressuring individuals to travel back to China.
Culprits get the boot
According to France’s Interior Ministry, three Chinese nationals were identified as principal organizers of the alleged network. Two have already been expelled from France. A third individual, Ni Chaowen, challenged his deportation order in court. However, Le Monde reported that France’s highest administrative court recommended in June that the deportation order be upheld.
Public records show that Ni, 57, arrived in France in 2001 and obtained legal residency in 2012. He later operated several clothing, leather goods, and jewelry trading businesses before becoming president of the France Fujian Federation of Industry and Commerce in 2023.
French authorities allege that Ni used the business association to facilitate an overseas police station connected to China’s public security system. During the investigation, police reportedly obtained a photograph showing Ni standing in front of signage for a “Fuzhou Overseas Police Service Station,” which investigators cited as evidence linking him to the operation.
On high alert
Le Monde also noted that many of Beijing’s overseas influence activities are carried out through individuals and organizations that are not formally part of the Chinese government. The newspaper pointed to China’s 2017 National Intelligence Law, which requires Chinese citizens and organizations to “support, assist, and cooperate with national intelligence efforts,” a provision that has drawn sustained concern from Western security agencies.
France is not the first country to take action against alleged Chinese overseas police operations. Authorities in the Netherlands, Spain, Canada, and several other countries have investigated or shut down similar organizations in recent years after reports that they were being used to monitor dissidents and facilitate transnational repression.
Beijing has consistently denied the allegations, maintaining that the facilities primarily provide administrative services for Chinese nationals abroad, such as driver’s license renewals and document authentication.
Nevertheless, concerns among Western governments have continued to grow. Security officials increasingly view the alleged overseas police stations as part of a broader effort by Beijing to extend its security and influence operations beyond China’s borders, prompting heightened scrutiny of organizations suspected of facilitating foreign interference, intelligence gathering, and cross-border intimidation.
