Ongoing Conflict Between Ottawa and Beijing Regarding the Presence of Chinese Police Stations

Recent revelations at the Foreign Interference Commission have uncovered undisclosed details of Ottawa’s handling of illegal Chinese police stations, exposing Beijing’s misleading claims about closing these stations when that wasn’t necessarily the case.

Government intelligence and diplomatic information on Chinese overseas police stations was presented as evidence on Oct. 3 at the commission, which is currently assessing Ottawa’s capabilities to combat foreign interference.

Following a report by Spanish NGO Safeguard Defenders in September 2022, subsequent investigations confirmed the presence of illegal Chinese police stations in Canada.

During the inquiry on Oct. 3, RCMP officials, including Deputy Commissioner Mark Flynn, refrained from confirming whether they were aware of the stations before the NGO report was published.

The report by Safeguard Defenders provided addresses of suspected locations in Canada. Consultations were held among RCMP, CSIS, Public Safety Canada, and Global Affairs Canada based on the credible findings of the NGO report.

In response, a senior GAC official contacted the Chinese ambassador on Oct. 7 to demand the closure of these stations. This was followed by a diplomatic note on Oct. 28, requesting an explanation from the People’s Republic of China regarding the stations and their purposes.

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Canada denounced the stations as a violation of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. A senior GAC official informed the Chinese embassy of the denial of their request for a liaison position for a Chinese Communist Party official.

Concurrently, CSIS and the RCMP collaborated on strategies to address the Chinese police stations, as detailed in the government summary.

According to the summary, the stations operated under the guise of providing services to diaspora communities, yet still violated Canadian sovereignty. They were suspected of serving as conduits for the PRC’s transnational activities.

Chinese Embassy Claims Closure

Following GAC’s engagement in October 2022, the Chinese embassy formally notified in late November 2022 that the “overseas Chinese service centres” were no longer operational.

GAC continued to address the issue, collaborating with other countries, and conducting further research through its Rapid Response Mechanism to counter threats associated with foreign interference.

The summary highlighted the designation of the centres as “liaison stations” due to their broad range of services beyond policing duties.

After additional research, GAC demanded in February 2023 that PRC officials cease operations of any such stations in Canada.

Deputy Commissioner Flynn elaborated on the decisive action as an immediate response, deployment of resources, neighborhood inquiries, interviews, and subsequent investigations.

Flynn refrained from confirming the current status of the Chinese police stations, citing ongoing investigative efforts.

The government summary at the inquiry indicated Ottawa’s continued monitoring for any signs of renewed activity related to these stations in Canada.

Quebec Investigations

Aside from deploying officers near Chinese police stations, the RCMP in Québec disclosed an active investigation against two community organizations suspected of hosting these stations in March 2023.

No arrests were made in the case, and the organizations subsequently filed defamation suits against the RCMP.

Questioned about the handling of the stations, Flynn emphasized the law enforcement investigation’s focus on building trust within the impacted Chinese community.

The RCMP’s visible presence in Montreal’s Chinatown and outreach initiatives aimed to demystify foreign interference in the Chinese community amidst cultural and language barriers.

The RCMP also initiated an online campaign in Chinese language seeking anonymous tips on threats from the Chinese Communist Party.