China is stepping up efforts to intimidate and spy on its diaspora as Beijing's influence grows beyond its borders, the Washington Post reports after a comprehensive global examination of the rise in cross-border campaigns of repression.
Beijing authorities sponsored pro-regime demonstrators from the Chinese diaspora who picked fights with Chinese opposition figures during President Xi Jinping's visit to San Francisco last year, the Washington Post reported on Tuesday.
The newspaper came to such conclusions after analyzing video materials and talking to participants of the events of November 2023, when during the Chinese leader's visit to San Francisco, clashes occurred between groups of Xi's supporters and demonstrators from the democratic opposition and supporters of a free Tibet and Hong Kong.
According to the Washington Post, the most violent clashes were instigated by organized groups of pro-regime activists, who attacked opposition figures with fists, flagpoles and chemical spray, among other things.
In one of dozens of reported attacks, a group of Xi supporters beat three people unconscious protesting the leader’s visit. It happened after the demonstration had already ended.
Among the throngs of regime supporters, the newspaper identified employees of the Chinese consulates in San Francisco and Los Angeles, while the Los Angeles consulate allegedly paid for rioters’ hotels and meals. Chinese diplomats also hired 60 security guards to protect the demonstrators.
“We are aware that some counter-protesters supporting the People's Republic of China have violently clashed with peaceful demonstrators. Efforts by the People's Republic of China to harass and threaten individuals and undermine their rights to exercise freedom of speech and assembly are unacceptable,” said State Department deputy spokesman Vedant Patel.
Chinese authorities sponsored protesters who started fights with Chinese oppositionTINGSHU WANG/PAP/EPA
China's Cross-Border Repression
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is investigating the matter, and State Department officials reportedly communicated their comments on the incidents to Chinese authorities.
As reported by “WP”, the clashes in San Francisco were one of the examples of cross-border repression used by the People's Republic of China against opponents of Xi's regime, and the demonstrators were intended to create the impression that the Chinese diaspora in USA overwhelmingly supports the leader in Beijing.
The FBI and other agencies have repeatedly drawn attention to systematic efforts by Chinese intelligence agencies and diplomats in the U.S. to intimidate, surveil, and harass Chinese expatriates opposed to Beijing.
In March 2023, U.S. prosecutors brought charges in absentia against more than 40 Chinese police officers and Ministry of Public Security officials for harassing Xi's opponents living in New York and other American cities.
Main image source: TINGSHU WANG