My Australian city even had a China federal police car, which they'd park near pro-HK demonstrations. Just to intimidate.
410
TheVentiLebowski18 hr ago
+176
And the Australian government just let it happen?
176
dotBombAU12 hr ago
+49
While it is illegal to replicate the appearance of an Australian police vehicle, there is no law against decorating a car with another country’s police car design.
Not sure if its going/gone through parliament.
49
successful_nothing10 hr ago
+14
arguably that behavior is a little deeper than just "decorating a car to look like another country's police car".
From quickly googling, Australia has a similar law to the one used to convict the guy in OP's article called the Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme. Driving around in a car decorated like a Chinese police car, funded by the Chinese government, to intimidate protestors would probably run afoul of that law.
14
SargeUnited9 hr ago
+6
So just have a private citizen fund it. The laundering is probably the easiest part. And if accused, just accuse them of Sinophobia or xenophobia whatever
I’ve actually never heard of decorating your car to look like another country’s police, sounds like a funny thing to do if not malicious
6
Complete-Tangelo15329 hr ago
+2
It does inspire some ideas that I will not act on
For plausible deniability and etc lol
2
dotBombAU9 hr ago
+1
If the cops could have done them, they would.
As for the scheme.
>The Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme commenced on 10 December 2018. Its purpose is to provide the public and government decision-makers with visibility of the nature, level and extent of foreign influence on Australia's government and political process.
Its for public servants mainly.
1
successful_nothing9 hr ago
+1
You're misinterpreting that.
>Broadly speaking, **any person must register** if they meet all of the following criteria:
>they undertake registrable activities or enter into a registrable arrangement
the activity is, or will be undertaken in Australia on behalf of a foreign principal
the activity is undertaken for the purpose of political or governmental influence
no exemptions apply.
>The scheme also establishes **criminal offences** for:
>failing to comply with obligations under the scheme
failing to register in circumstances where a person is required to do so
providing false or misleading information and destroying records to avoid registration obligations.
https://www.ag.gov.au/integrity/foreign-influence-transparency-scheme
Also, I don't know about Australia, but in the United States I know police officers can make an arrest based on something called probable cause, which gives them the authority to arrest based on a reasonable belief a crime has been or will be committed. Maybe Australia doesnt have that.
1
dotBombAU8 hr ago
+1
Nah mate.
https://www.ag.gov.au/sites/default/files/2020-03/fast-facts.pdf
>Who needs to register?
>Any person who undertakes registrable activities on behalf of a foreign principal in Australia is required toregister under the scheme, unless they are exempt.
>Registrable activities include parliamentary lobbying, general political lobbying, communications activity or disbursement activity.
Its for politicians/government.
1
Fun-Employee930916 hr ago
+81
Australians are notoriously easily intimidated people. Remember the gay guy who got curb stomped half to death by Muslims and Australia refused to do anything about it?
81
doofpooferthethird14 hr ago
+63
it's not an intimidation problem, I think
Australians had been "gay-bashing" for decades now, including multiple high profile homosexual murder sprees
this is just a continuation of that tradition, the new generation of homophobic Australians picking up where their forebears left off in the 90s/early 2000s
https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/The-Gay-Gang-murders-%3A-illegitimate-victims%2C-bodies-Davis/33f73b6f68bd6fe5334fddf46ef315f885634218
*"With the exception of one murder, these events dubbed the 'gay gang murders' were not properly investigated until more than a decade had passed when a detective noted a number of similarities between the cases. A task force named 'Operation Taradale' was established to examine links between the suspicious deaths originally dismissed as suicides, accidents or one-off attacks and Sydney gay hate gangs which existed at the time"*
63
Professional_Net733914 hr ago
+50
Yeah but like. Why acknowledge reality when we can instead be vaguely racist?
50
cakesalads11 hr ago
-8
Racist against who? Islam is a religion practiced by 2 billion people, and Australia is a multiethnic country, despite their historical attempts to homogenize
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genocide_of_Indigenous_Australians
-8
Wayofchinchilla11 hr ago
That's weird I always thought they were a tough people. I remember hearing how shocked pickpocketers in France were at just how aggressive Americans get when you steal stuff from them like normal people are going to call the cops Americans are like headlock!!!
0
TheVentiLebowski10 hr ago
+3
Did you mean Australians?
3
Immediate-Spite-590518 hr ago
+42
grounds for treason perhaps? use the CCP bullshit of "sedition" against them and imprison them for life
42
Thunderclone_110 hr ago
+1
Doesn't really fit treason charges. Espionage more like. Maybe kidnapping, impersonating a police officer, RICO, and/ or others
Treason requires either carrying out acts of war against the US or providing aid and comfort to an enemy of the US.
The "enemy" part isn't really defined, but as far as I'm aware, has only been used in cases where an actual armed conflict is ongoing.
1
im-ba16 hr ago
+12
Sounds like a fun car to spray silly string all over
12
Starfox-sf15 hr ago
+4
Stink bomb into the vent
4
im-ba15 hr ago
+3
Take some of that fart in a can and make it into a mini IED
3
zosolm12 hr ago
+4
In my country they dragged somebody off the streets into the embassy and beat the shit out of them with impunity
4
Aluxanatomy14 hr ago
+2
The IRA had ways of dealing with things like that.
2
lufiron8 hr ago
+1
Here in America, the protestors would just smash and light the car up in flames. I think they know it, too.
1
CondescendingShitbag18 hr ago
+36
Yeah, not exactly 'secret' at this point.
36
random2019082617 hr ago
-17
Not surprising. As long as they don't start murdering people on foreign soil, I am not afraid. Fortunately, no one knows who I am, so I can speak out against them all I like and face no consequences as a Chinese Canadian.
-17
zeniiz14 hr ago
+16
"I don't care because it doesn't affect me"
16
Ghede16 hr ago
+22
No, they don't murder people on foreign soil. They just encourage people onto flights to go visit family that has suddenly fallen ill. And wouldn't you know it, fallen ill is contagious.
22
random2019082615 hr ago
-10
Fortunately, my immediate family are Canadian citizens. My extended family, however, I don't care too much about. They are mostly CCP members/municipal agency employees/retirees.
-10
Gullible-Chart-84599 hr ago
+2
"Personally I'm not concerned about China's growing overseas influence"
-Chinese man living overseas
2
Vast_Emergency18 hr ago
+295
It's happening all over, this guy even became an immigration officer in the UK so he could access immigration systems and locate dissidents; https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0m2wjlkzplo
295
ArugulaElectronic47817 hr ago
+224
lol I’m Canadian and just the other day I was talking to an American who said Canada was compromised because there were secret CCP police stations uncovered here and I said that this sort of thing is happening in every western country and he laughed.
Buddy owes me a beer next time I see him.
224
Sunnyjim33317 hr ago
+47
A Canadian beer I think.
47
Ha-Charade-You-Are16 hr ago
+15
You mean CCP beer now
15
OneInside643914 hr ago
+24
A California city elected a mayor that is now being tried as a spy for the CCP.
24
lII1lIIl1IIll1Il11l13 hr ago
+6
under the criteria there were charged....there are a lot of people who should be charged from human rights abusers who are also 'Strong US Allies'
6
Howllat12 hr ago
+2
They are only being charged because they didnt register as a foreign agent. They dont have any sort of espionage charges
2
GreenNatureR14 hr ago
+2
rcmp closed the case on 2 alleged montreal police stations. no charges filed, defamation lawsuit ongoing.
2
DoubleFamous57518 hr ago
+1
Why didn’t you say sorry though?
1
sonic_couth15 hr ago
+2
Ask him if he’s got any extra ivermectin laying around. Might help figure out just how naive he is.
2
notislant12 hr ago
+1
The NYC thing is old f****** news as well.
1
BringHoomanHome_18 hr ago
+133
This story honestly feels like something straight out of a spy thriller, which is why it’s getting so much attention. If foreign governments are operating unofficial influence or enforcement networks inside another country, that’s obviously a serious issue no matter which country is involved. But I also think people need to separate governments from ordinary citizens because a lot of innocent Chinese immigrants probably don’t want to be associated with any of this. The internet always turns these stories into ‘us vs them’ instantly, but the bigger concern should really be transparency, national sovereignty, and protecting people from intimidation tactics. Wild story overall.
133
VastUnique17 hr ago
+42
This has been known for well over a decade by this point. It's also worth noting that the Chinese immigrants you're talking about are actually the primary target of these secret police types, and their greatest victims. They aren't big enough to really be a priority for protection from the host country (at least until they become naturalized citizens), and China does it to intimidate and compel them into toeing the CCP line, reminding them that they can't get away from its authority no matter where they flee.
42
bramtyr18 hr ago
+82
This isn't the first time I've read about the secret overseas CCP police stations, I feel like every month or so I read an article of one being uncovered, shut down, or in this instance, a participant prosecuted for it.
I'm sure they certainly have a chilling effect on China's expat populace globally.
82
BringHoomanHome_18 hr ago
+24
That’s the part that probably worries a lot of people the most honestly. Even if only a few cases are proven true, the idea that expat communities could feel monitored or pressured outside their home country has a pretty chilling effect by itself. It can make ordinary people scared to speak openly, attend events, or even criticize politics online. Definitely feels like one of those stories that sounds unbelievable at first until you realize governments have been doing influence operations for decades in different forms.
24
hera-fawcett18 hr ago
+30
not to be a huge d***---- but a small part of the reason that epstein is so egregious is due to the fact that he *could* be an israeli (or russian?) spy.
the amt of influence the man netted was *insane* and most political bodies would love to have and hold the info he had.
and we see, to this day, how he and all those in his ring still have and hold power. ghislaine probably getting pardoned. that new guy who's taking jerome powell's job- kevin warsh- he's in the epstein files. f****** weinstein is trying to get a retrial.
its always about who you know---- and a lot of foreign governments or pedophile rings or old man drug clubs--- they know a *lot* of ppl. and at the head of the networks is almost always someone who's doing some sort of foreign interference. or, worse, rich person class interference.
30
Superb_Caregiver_51815 hr ago
+3
This happened in Canada like a couple years ago. China has been known to pull this bs
3
008Zulu18 hr ago
+34
"Chen and Lu were accused of destroying text messages they exchanged with an MPS official when they learned of the probe, prosecutors said."
Destruction of evidence charges are no joke.
34
PandaJesus17 hr ago
+20
Yeah that kind of behavior can get you a one way trip to a job in the Trump administration
20
jamar03030316 hr ago
+6
Unless/until the administration finds it more beneficial to throw you under the bus.
6
Alternative-Fold242618 hr ago
+43
I would really like too see which political side he was pushing for behind the scenes but I notice the article conspicuously avoids any mention of that.
43
okiioppai18 hr ago
+46
Chinese calls Trump "Trump the Country Builder". Just for your reference.
46
ajtreee18 hr ago
+18
There are several nick names they call him.
The name they use for that weird AI slop video. The stick and buff orange guy are named with the same nicknames they use for trump. Tung is one of them i think.
18
Hopeful_Chair_712918 hr ago
+12
It’s ironic, because he’s “building” Chinese power.
12
WORLDSLARGEST17 hr ago
+28
Pretty sure that’s what the person you’re replying to and the Chinese mean…
28
Hopeful_Chair_712916 hr ago
-4
Yeah just was explaining why they were saying that
-4
PatchyWhiskers17 hr ago
+7
Chinese are more subtle than Russians. They infiltrate both parties.
7
Haunting_Explorer37615 hr ago
+9
No shit. There was a expose on the one in Vancouver a few years ago
9
LoserBroadside14 hr ago
+5
Jesus Christ, that’s terrifying. Imagine being a dissident who thought they’d escaped the brutality of the Chinese government only to face this, a secret police outpost hidden in their new home.
5
Colorfulgreyy18 hr ago
+10
This is getting scary, especially seeing those billionaires sucking CCP pp so hard today
10
PatchyWhiskers17 hr ago
+7
These are spies, not police
7
xdeltax9716 hr ago
+6
This is everywhere unfortunately
6
DisenchantedByrd16 hr ago
+3
Shoutout to "James C Barnacle Jr" - what a rocking name.
3
SgtHulkasBigToeJam16 hr ago
+2
I’d prefer a Chinese fire station
2
Kapowpow13 hr ago
+1
Hey, I’m running a secret Chinese police station too, but you don’t see me clamoring for recognition.
1
GNTsquid012 hr ago
+1
Is there a non-paywall version?
1
PanicTight641111 hr ago
+1
So they're doing CIA shit? No surprise. The american government does this shit all the time.
1
niemacotuwpisac10 hr ago
+1
Such descriptions soften the image. There is no such thing as a "secret police." This person effectively ran an intelligence agency, which also monitored its own citizens.
This is espionage combined with the compromising of unaccredited facilities, for which the country should not only imprison them all but also retaliate.
1
Iranoutofhotsauce8 hr ago
+1
Good yes let’s make a great deal with them. It’ll be art.
1
Wide_Smoke_25648 hr ago
+1
Unlike the CIA, who are totally 100% not embedded in every country on the planet right?
1
vonralls8 hr ago
+1
Not a BBC member. What do they do at these Chinese Police Stations?
1
Hopeful_Chair_712918 hr ago
+1
Omg are they housing with the Iranian sleeper cells?
1
seaofblackholes15 hr ago
-1
Yo China has spies in the NYC? Absolutely wild! I bet you can even find a single US spy in whole Asia, not to mention China.
-1
xMYTHIKx10 hr ago
-1
Right? The US doesn't even have a spy agency! Definitely not one known for brutality and horrible crimes on every continent for more than 50 years!
-1
BasedTelvanni11 hr ago
+1
How do you combat this without just being racist towards Chinese people
1
mso133716 hr ago
+1
When you order police officers from temu
1
sagittariuslegend18 hr ago
-16
I, for one, welcome my Chinese overlords
-16
rogershredderer12 hr ago
Damn, the Chinese are making moves.
0
nitrousconsumed13 hr ago
-4
the f*** y ou mean 'secret' china has 100s of chinese police stations across the wolrd the same way the US has hundreds of military bases around the world.
https://edition.cnn.com/2022/12/04/world/china-overseas-police-stations-intl-cmd
-4
GloryGreatestCountry12 hr ago
+3
Is the secret ingredient not just.. consent?
3
tesulalu16 hr ago
-23
Capitalist propaganda. Who are the people who were detained in these so called police stations? Where is the evidence. Immigrants from China should be able to get help from their native countries. The only thing they are guilty of is not registering properly as foreign agents, just like aipac and the multiple isreali agents in the usa.
-23
LagT_T14 hr ago
+3
China is state capitalist.
3
CosmicDave16 hr ago
+9
You obviously did not read the court records on this one, or you would have seen the evidence. Immigrants can get help from their native countries at their official embassies. You cannot operate as a unregistered foreign agent inside the US unless you are the President.
83 Comments