Summary
A New York man, Chen Jinping, pleaded guilty to operating an undeclared Chinese police station in Manhattan for China’s Ministry of Public Security.
The station, part of a transnational repression scheme, aided Beijing in locating and suppressing pro-democracy activists in the U.S., violating American sovereignty.
Authorities say the station also served routine functions like renewing Chinese driving licenses but had a more sinister role, including tracking a California-based activist.
Chen faces up to five years in prison, while a co-defendant has pleaded not guilty and awaits trial.
These police officers are reported to also go after people of Chinese origin that have said things the CCP doesn’t like. Violating the right to free speech on USA soil doesn’t sit well with the local authorities and diplomats.
We’re they visiting them in person and physically intimidating them? That would make sense, but the article doesn’t say. I got the impression they were sending publicly available info on people to china. Which, while obviously unpleasant, I’m not sure how their being arrested doesn’t violate their freedom of speech.
Not this instance specifically, but other Chinese police stations around the world do indeed do that. It’s seen as an organization, not unlike the CIA, just less official.