Chinese police hunting international corruption targets were allowed into Australia by the federal police and subsequently escorted a woman back to China for trial, in a major breach of Chinese-Australian police protocols.
The revelations, contained in Monday night’s Four Corners program about a former Chinese spy, prompted a sharp rebuke from federal politicians who are concerned the act may have undermined Australia’s national security.
The Chinese police were permitted to enter Australia in 2019 to talk with a 59-year-old Chinese-born Australian resident.
The woman was targeted under a Chinese Communist Party (CCP) anti-corruption drive called Operation Fox Hunt, which relies on police from the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) to make arrests.
Her case is one of 283 cases documented by an international NGO, Safeguard Defenders, in its recent report, Chasing Fox Hunt.
While Fox Hunt is described by the CCP as targeting “economic criminals”, human rights groups have said it is also used to silence dissidents and abduct people around the world.
“Escort back to China” sure is a weird way of saying they kidnapped her.
Traditionally, countries will have extradition agreements that facilitate arrest of criminals in flight.
Thanks to break down in relations between China and Western states, it has become increasingly common for Chinese embezzlers and con-artists to flee abroad with cash assets in hopes of evading arrest.
Of course, this works both ways with Australian felony suspects hiding in China to the same effect.
In 2017, the Turnbull government abruptly withdrew from parliament a proposed Chinese extradition treaty following significant backbench discontent.
Since then, the Australian government has resorted to various agreements with MPS and other Chinese security agencies as a means of cooperating with China on criminal matters.
So this becomes an end run for both countries to seek “voluntary” extradition, primarily by threatening potential accomplices and family property in the original country.
And it exists for good reason. You generally don’t want your country to become a haven for fraudsters because they’ll keep committing fraud in their new country.
Yvette Wang, accused of being an accomplice of exiled and indicted Chinese billionaire Guo Wengui, pleaded guilty in New York last week to defrauding many investors out of over $1 billion in “a complex scheme,” prosecutors said.
Fraud in China has far worse consequences than fraud in Australia. Even if I were to be arrested, I’d prefer it to happen in Australia where I can get off with a slap on the wrist.
Even if I were to be arrested, I’d prefer it to happen in Australia
On Monday, as the temperature soared to 43 C in Roebourne, the Service revealed the “distressing outcome” is that prisoners are still living in cells without air-conditioning, in “conditions that could prove fatal from heat stress or heat stroke”.
Enjoy yourself, I guess.
They’re not saying they want to go to prison in Australia. They’re saying it would obviously be better than going to prison in freaking China.
I feel like you’re a Chinese prison salesman or something.
They’re not saying they want to go to prison in Australia.
No, they’re just hanging their hat on “China Always Worse”.
you’re a Chinese prison salesman
That’s a sane and logical conclusion
Fraudsters aren’t being shipped to a regional prison in one of the most remote areas of the country lol
True. White collar crimes getting the white glove treatment isn’t unusual in the West, no matter how many lives are ruined.
I’ll take 43C/109F to a forced labor internment camp but you do you.
I’ll take 43C/109F
I would pass on it.
Oasis agriculture in the Tarim Basin occupies a large part of the population
In the Tarim Basin, July temperatures average about 80 °F (27 °C)
…
After the Cultural Revolution, political and economic policies were moderated, leading to widespread improvement in the livelihood of farmers and pastoralists and to relative stability and economic growth in the region. This was accompanied—especially from the late 1990s—by increased economic investment in Xinjiang, as well as by an influx of Han from other parts of China.
Sounds awful. Enjoy your Australian prison.
Kinda glad where I live there’s absolutely no way our government would allow CCP police to reach me. (unless the CCP police goes undercover and kidnaps me)
Sure about it?
If they talk about the USA - then yes. Not because the government loves its citizens and respects their rights - simply because it hates China.
Still If there’s someone they need in china they would probably trade you over
Can’t speak for Australians, but as a Canadian who expects that the same could happen here - why the fuck are our governments so apathetic about this shit?.
Stand up for the people trusting you. Be MAD. Stop doing it if you’re also doing it.
In the UK there was a peaceful protester and the Chinese dragged him into the embassy grounds and beat him in front of the public. They have diplomatic immunity.
Nothing was done obviously.
No wonder China and Russia shit over us and act like we are weak. We are. We proved it multiple times.
Fuck the West is shadow of what it once was.
the Chinese dragged him into the embassy grounds and beat him in front of the public
Uh… any link on that? I’m not finding this reference anywhere.
The article isn’t clear as to what precipitated the brawl
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clash_at_the_Consulate_General_of_China,_Manchester
The individual was part of a crowd attempting to harass individuals within the embassy, not someone police snatched off the street at random.
Bob appears to have tried to drag off a member of the consult in the act of tearing down signs, only to be pulled inside himself in a tug of war with the consulate staff.
Nothing about this looks peaceful.
I can’t see how anyone involved with allowing this isn’t complicit.
What possible reason did the police of a foreign nation need to be physically there for, other than physically removing someone?Ms Wang’s whereabouts are unknown. She may still be in China or she may have faced trial and since returned to Australia, as have some of the 16 Australian-based Fox Hunt targets who returned to China since 2014 to face trials there.
It looks like it’s been catch-and-release once the Chinese embezzler returns enough stolen money.
As criminal prosection goes, that’s incredibly cushy. Far nicer than what a drug importer would expect.
And it appears to be reciprocal, as Australians are known to flee to China to evade arrest as well.
