China steps up transnational repression of dissidents and minorities

Washington [US], July 15 : China has long been known to engage in transnational repression around the world, however, its use of repressive tactics against dissidents and minorities increased in recent years as President Xi Jinping has consolidated power at home and adopted a more muscular foreign policy.
Masood Farivar, writing in Voice of America (VOA) said that China's cross-border activities have been on US law enforcement's radar since at least 2014. That's when Beijing launched an anti-corruption drive known as Operation Fox Hunt.
Together with a later version known as Operation Skynet, Fox Hunt seeks to repatriate fugitives wanted for financial crimes in China. But US officials say China has used the program as a cover to silence critics.
According to Freedom House, several parts of the Chinese government security apparatus are involved in transnational repression activities. These include the Ministry of State Security (MSS), Ministry of Public Security (MPS) and the People's Liberation Army (PLA). The MSS is responsible for counterespionage and political security.
While MSS agents manage the targeting of Uyghurs, Tibetans and domestic dissidents, MPS officers work with local authorities to make threatening calls to exiles, according to Freedom House. In other instances, the Chinese government keeps a distance, using proxies such as "anti-cult associations" in the United States to harass and attack critics.
A term popularized in recent years, transnational repression refers to efforts by authoritarian regimes to target critics living outside their borders. They do this in a variety of ways, from online harassment and intimidation to physical assault and assassination.
Last week, the US Justice Department announced the indictment of one former and one current Department of Homeland Security agent in connection with an alleged Chinese government plot to target US-based critics, reported Farivar.
The men, the law enforcement agency said, aided a "transnational repression" scheme to "silence, harass, discredit and spy on US -based residents for exercising their freedom of speech."
Their victims ranged from a prominent California-based Chinese sculptor to a Chinese American Army veteran running for a congressional seat in New York, reported VOA.
"There seems to be a marked escalation in their efforts to carry out this unlawful campaign, a campaign that's inimical not only to US law but [also to] democratic values that we adhere to," said David Laufman, who headed the Justice Department's counterintelligence and export control section from 2014 to 2018.
With a growing number of governments "using the same tools" to target critics, the advocacy organization Freedom House warns that the problem is becoming "normal."
In a recent report, Freedom House documented 735 incidents of transnational repression from 2014 through 2021, with China accounting for more than 30 per cent of the incidents, making it the most prolific user in the world, said Farivar.
About 75 per cent of transnational repression activities are carried out in non-democratic countries, said Freedom House senior researcher Yana Gorokhovskaia.
This is what makes it shocking -- that the Chinese government has been able to be so active in the US," Gorokhovskaia said.
Once seen as a human rights issue, transnational repression is increasingly viewed by US officials as a violation of national sovereignty that must be countered, said Farivar.
The recent US focus on Chinese attacks comes as US law enforcement and intelligence officials warn about Chinese espionage and influence operations.
Uzra Zeya, undersecretary of state for civilian security, democracy and human rights, told a congressional panel last month that "the reach and frequency of [China's] global repression is growing more alarming by the day," reported VOA.
In response, Zeya said, the Biden administration has adopted a whole-of-government approach that includes visa restrictions, export controls, and the investigation and prosecution of perpetrators.
"We must reckon with this serious threat, and we are combating it with the attention, seriousness and resources it deserves," Zeya said.