China’s Ministry of Public Security is setting up “centers” around the world, including in the US, aimed at intimidating their citizens into self-repatriation. Much as Soviet Russia forcibly repatriated Soviet escapees after WWII, China uses threats against family and citizen to compel the return of citizens. This is more than wrong; it is illegal and ominous.
Why illegal? Because the US Government – and every State – has clear laws that forbit such threats, intimidation, coercion, extortion, forced imprisonment, and the kinds of behavior China’s representatives are undertaking on US soil.
Why else? Because the US does not have an extradition treaty with China. We did not send Russian citizens back to the Soviet Union under any president. We do not send them today back to Cuba, Venezuela, North Korea, Iran, or China to be put through a show trial and imprisoned.
Why else illegal? Because we have federal laws, such as 18 USC 3182, that govern extradition. They do not allow any nation to come here, collar those who left, and intimidate them by threatening to harass, imprison, or kill their family.
The whole idea is not just illegal, but morally repulsive – at odds with America as a beacon of freedom, place of safety, secure from the long arm of communist oppressors.
Yet, here we are, permitting China to take up in our cities, from close range target, threaten, and force home those who are here for their own freedom, studying, working, and contributing.
These reports are sobering. They should give every American pause, putting law enforcement on alert. They should cause Biden’s State Department to declare the individuals running these centers “persona non grata” and sent home. Yet, little is happening.
Often, we look at a new development – especially novel forms of warfare, here China’s “unrestricted warfare” – and we wonder is happening. Is it that hard to figure out?
Prior to WWII, Americans noticed German operatives popping up around America, New York to rural outposts, prodding community organizations, political activists to keep America out of the war. All sorts appeared, “Mothers Against the War” to overt and covert propaganda printers.
The Germans split our nation over several years, aware that if we got into the war, odds on their victory dropped overnight. This happened until Pearl Harbor, after which Hitler declared war, driving German operatives underground or out. The conversation was over, America at war.
Fast forward to now, where Chinese “service centers” – intimidation centers – replace the so-called “Confucius centers,” ousted by the last Administration. The new reality is serious, another sign of creeping Chinese aggression, seeing what they can get away with as we sleep.
Pause and ask “why” is China doing this? Several obvious reasons come to mind.
First, they want to break bonds that exist, pulling possible defectors home. Why an accelerated effort? Let your imagination run – as they seek world dominance and modernize their military.
Second, they want to deter future West, so are making clear – unless stopped by the US – they can set up near you, find you, punish you or your family at will. That is pretty heavy.
Third, they want to test how responsive the US government is – how protective of our sovereignty we are. President Trump sent communist “Confucius centers” packing, called out China’s duplicity, gave them nothing. Biden seems to be looking the other way and is objectively weak. China knows both and is leaning in.
Fourth, if they can do this – they can do almost anything. So far, China has reportedly set up shop and “persuaded” 230,000 Chinese to fly home, including 10,000 “high value” people, using threats to force repatriation. That was already a year ago.
The Chinese are good at propaganda or information warfare, and have dubbed these centers “110 centers,” parroting their national emergency telephone number, as we have 911. To date, at least 54 centers exist – here and in 30 nations, most in Europe. China does not “do war” halfway.
If China’s motivation is dark, shadow growing, the only remaining question is – why are we not going after these centers as violative of US laws, diplomatic norms, international law?
Why is the US Justice Department not focused on China, how they continue to infiltrate this nation, stealing everything from records on cleared personnel – from the Office of Personnel Management under Obama – to vast amounts of public and private technology?
Why is our Justice Department not uprooting potential intelligence breaches by family of the former vice president, now the president. This is not just about tax evasion, but about security, potential breaches throwing wide a door for China.
Why is Biden’s Justice Department not – as Trump’s was – focused on China’s infiltration of US educational institutions, persistent theft of high-value information, damage to national security, and these “intimidation centers”?
What matters more: Administrative document mishandling by a former President, or huge national breaches by a sitting president’s son? This is not just about public corruption in the old way, money for influence. It is about selling influence to our chief adversary.
Unfortunately, until our national leaders take China’s continuing assault on our security and sovereignty seriously, the sound from Washington will be a yawn. That is like those warnings in the 1930s about Germany and 1950s about the Soviets – until reality changed everything. If we are smart, want a secure future, we must track what China is doing, not ignore it – stop it.