Chinese police hunting international corruption targets were allowed into Australia by the federal police and subsequently escorted a woman back to China for trial, in a major breach of Chinese-Australian police protocols.
The revelations, contained in Monday night’s Four Corners program about a former Chinese spy, prompted a sharp rebuke from federal politicians who are concerned the act may have undermined Australia’s national security.
The Chinese police were permitted to enter Australia in 2019 to talk with a 59-year-old Chinese-born Australian resident.
The woman was targeted under a Chinese Communist Party (CCP) anti-corruption drive called Operation Fox Hunt, which relies on police from the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) to make arrests.
Her case is one of 283 cases documented by an international NGO, Safeguard Defenders, in its recent report, Chasing Fox Hunt.
While Fox Hunt is described by the CCP as targeting “economic criminals”, human rights groups have said it is also used to silence dissidents and abduct people around the world.
“Escort back to China” sure is a weird way of saying they kidnapped her.
Traditionally, countries will have extradition agreements that facilitate arrest of criminals in flight.
Thanks to break down in relations between China and Western states, it has become increasingly common for Chinese embezzlers and con-artists to flee abroad with cash assets in hopes of evading arrest.
Of course, this works both ways with Australian felony suspects hiding in China to the same effect.
In 2017, the Turnbull government abruptly withdrew from parliament a proposed Chinese extradition treaty following significant backbench discontent.
Since then, the Australian government has resorted to various agreements with MPS and other Chinese security agencies as a means of cooperating with China on criminal matters.
So this becomes an end run for both countries to seek “voluntary” extradition, primarily by threatening potential accomplices and family property in the original country.
And it exists for good reason. You generally don’t want your country to become a haven for fraudsters because they’ll keep committing fraud in their new country.
Yvette Wang, accused of being an accomplice of exiled and indicted Chinese billionaire Guo Wengui, pleaded guilty in New York last week to defrauding many investors out of over $1 billion in “a complex scheme,” prosecutors said.
Fraud in China has far worse consequences than fraud in Australia. Even if I were to be arrested, I’d prefer it to happen in Australia where I can get off with a slap on the wrist.
Even if I were to be arrested, I’d prefer it to happen in Australia
On Monday, as the temperature soared to 43 C in Roebourne, the Service revealed the “distressing outcome” is that prisoners are still living in cells without air-conditioning, in “conditions that could prove fatal from heat stress or heat stroke”.
Enjoy yourself, I guess.
Fraudsters aren’t being shipped to a regional prison in one of the most remote areas of the country lol
True. White collar crimes getting the white glove treatment isn’t unusual in the West, no matter how many lives are ruined.
I’ll take 43C/109F to a forced labor internment camp but you do you.
I’ll take 43C/109F
I would pass on it.
Oasis agriculture in the Tarim Basin occupies a large part of the population
In the Tarim Basin, July temperatures average about 80 °F (27 °C)
…
After the Cultural Revolution, political and economic policies were moderated, leading to widespread improvement in the livelihood of farmers and pastoralists and to relative stability and economic growth in the region. This was accompanied—especially from the late 1990s—by increased economic investment in Xinjiang, as well as by an influx of Han from other parts of China.
Sounds awful. Enjoy your Australian prison.
They’re not saying they want to go to prison in Australia. They’re saying it would obviously be better than going to prison in freaking China.
I feel like you’re a Chinese prison salesman or something.
They’re not saying they want to go to prison in Australia.
No, they’re just hanging their hat on “China Always Worse”.
you’re a Chinese prison salesman
That’s a sane and logical conclusion
they’re just hanging their hat on “China Always Worse”.
Compared to Australia? Yes, going to prison in China would be worse.
How much you want to bet that jail has even a single white collar criminal in it exposed to 43 C heat?
Thanks. That’s what I needed to know.
Can’t speak for Australians, but as a Canadian who expects that the same could happen here - why the fuck are our governments so apathetic about this shit?.
Stand up for the people trusting you. Be MAD. Stop doing it if you’re also doing it.
I cannot not read this in Cave Johnson’s voice.
I didn’t read it that way the first time, but yep. J. K. Simmons energy all over that comment.
Ok so now we will not allow Chinese police into Australia right?
insert Anakin and Padme meme
I can’t see how anyone involved with allowing this isn’t complicit.
What possible reason did the police of a foreign nation need to be physically there for, other than physically removing someone?Ms Wang’s whereabouts are unknown. She may still be in China or she may have faced trial and since returned to Australia, as have some of the 16 Australian-based Fox Hunt targets who returned to China since 2014 to face trials there.
It looks like it’s been catch-and-release once the Chinese embezzler returns enough stolen money.
As criminal prosection goes, that’s incredibly cushy. Far nicer than what a drug importer would expect.
And it appears to be reciprocal, as Australians are known to flee to China to evade arrest as well.
But isn’t punishment for embezzlement in China death? Ohh I just did a cursory search and it’s only for serious cases.
Lai Xiaomin, previously chairman of one of China’s “big four” state-controlled asset management firms, China Huarong Asset Management Co, had pleaded guilty to the dozens of charges. He had been accused of soliciting almost 1.79bn yuan ($276.7m) in bribes over 10 years, a period when he was also acting as a regulator.
A high ranking state official who extorted over a quarter billion dollars got the death penalty.
The death sentence for Lai, in one of China’s biggest financial crime cases, was handed down without a two-year reprieve – a commonly added caveat that allows death sentences to be commuted to 25 years, or life in prison after two years.
I think this is what the surprised Pikachu meme was created for.
They do it because they can and there are no consequences, it’s not the wolf’s fault for eating the sheep, its the shepherd who left the door open.
Nah it’s still the wolf’s fault, even when the shepherd is terrible. Take the wolf out of the equation, and the sheep live regardless of the shepherd’s capabilities.
Deer populations have doubled
Rabbit populations have octupled
Local flora has decreased
Desertification has increased
Fun hyperbole, but this all assumes wolves are the only predators.
And your metaphor was a fun oversimplification.
Chinese Communist Party’s…anti-corruption drive. Next up, we’ve got prostitutes fucking for virginity. 🤪
News flash they do this shit everywhere.
Because the world runs on money.
China has lots of moneys.
Say what you will about conspiracy nuts, but the idea of a world government is very very real and has been for a long time. It’s always been about the money.
Edit: Yall can downvote brigade me until the cows come home and you’re blue in the face (not to mention multi-account abuse for downvoting being arguably worse on a fedinet instance) - the fact is, the chinese have mini-govt buildings setup all around the world. This case isn’t the first, nor will it be the last. Mald harder.
the idea of a world government is very very real and has been for a long time
Yes, it’s called Star Trek and many of us want a future like that.
Not as many know it was only achieved through nuclear holocaust.
Now that I can get behind
Kinda glad where I live there’s absolutely no way our government would allow CCP police to reach me. (unless the CCP police goes undercover and kidnaps me)
Sure about it?
If they talk about the USA - then yes. Not because the government loves its citizens and respects their rights - simply because it hates China.
USA doesn’t pay enough attention. A few CCP spies with a van and a blackjack could grab someone in USA 100% and you’re deluded if you think otherwise.
Still If there’s someone they need in china they would probably trade you over
Depends, are we talking about Chinese nationals or immigrants? They a naturalized citizen? I remember some reports about Chinese people being harassed by Chinese police here in the U.S. just last year.
Pretty sure there’s no way my government would allow it. Sure, secretly kidnapping me might not be too difficult, but my government would never officially give permission to the CCP police to have a talk with me (as the Australian govt. did in this article). I live in Taiwan btw.
There must have been some kind of cooperation, Australia has custom offices and border controls at airports and harbours. They won’t let her out without looking at her passport, etc.
Read the news better…
Maybe they shoved her in a diplomatic pouch.
I am not supplies
Surprised
You callin’ him a liar? >_>
Why the heck would Australia even allow Chinese police on their soil? Isn’t this usually done by requesting extradition? Makes no sense.
4 years without a headline. The AFP didn’t even consider this objectionable. The AFP are scum.
