On April 28, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) released a transnational investigation, "China in the Target," exposing the global pattern and expansion of Beijing's cross-border suppression of overseas dissidents.
The investigation, led by the ICIJ in collaboration with 42 media outlets worldwide, including The Washington Post, The Guardian, and Radio Free Asia, took 10 months and involved interviews with 105 political dissidents from mainland China and Hong Kong, as well as oppressed Uyghurs and Tibetans, in 23 countries. All of these individuals have faced repression in recent years for publicly or privately criticizing Chinese government policies. The survey revealed that half of the interviewees said their family members in China had been intimidated and interrogated by police or national security personnel. The ICIJ is a Washington-based nonprofit transnational journalistic organization that collaborates with investigative journalists worldwide to conduct in-depth reporting.
China Target analyzed a batch of previously undisclosed Chinese government documents, such as police and security training manuals, to show how the National Security Bureau identified and controlled targets. These documents spanned approximately 20 years, with the earliest dating back to 2001. The investigation found that the "repression template" established by China's National Security Bureau is still being used by overseas dissidents.
The investigation, which analyzed confidential documents, court records, and intelligence reports from both the United Nations and Interpol, found that more than half of UN-accredited nonprofit organizations from mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan, which are supposedly free from government interference, have close ties to Chinese authorities. The investigation also found that Chinese authorities abused Interpol, the world's largest police cooperation organization, to pursue dissidents, Uighur human rights defenders, and others.
The ICIJ believes this is part of the Chinese government's massive nationwide surveillance and control efforts under Xi Jinping's rule. Even after leaving China, Chinese authorities continue to target overseas dissidents who pose a threat to national security. This state-sponsored intimidation campaign is highly intimidating, silencing many overseas activists and ethnic minorities for fear of harm to their families back home.
In recent years, there has been considerable discussion in Western political circles and media about China's "long-arm jurisdiction." Emile Dirks, a researcher at the University of Toronto's Citizen Lab, stated in an interview that liberal democracies remain insufficiently prepared to address transnational repression. "This has a chilling effect on those who dare to speak out against Chinese state behavior, and it also impacts civil society and democratic institutions within liberal democracies," he said.
Last year, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning stated that "so-called Chinese overseas police stations simply do not exist." However, ICIJ stated that a spokesperson for the Hong Kong Security Bureau, in response to his statement, stated that it was "necessary and legitimate" for Hong Kong authorities to pursue individuals who have violated the Hong Kong National Security Law and have fled overseas. Hong Kong will pursue them according to the law and take all measures, including cutting off their funding sources, to prevent and suppress their continued activities and conduct that endanger national security.
