Canada summons Chinese ambassador over rogue police stations
Under the convention, consular and administrative services are supposed to be conducted by embassies and consulates.
Epp said Ottawa is considering taking “further decisions for how we take that forward, depending on how they respond”, he added.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said in October that they were “investigating reports of criminal activity in relation to the so-called ‘police’ stations” and claims that Chinese nationals in the country have been harassed.
“The RCMP takes threats to the security of individuals living in Canada very seriously and is aware that foreign states may seek to intimidate or harm communities or individuals within Canada,” it added.
According to Safeguard Defenders, agents have pressured Chinese nationals to return to China to face criminal charges.
In a September report, the NGO said the stations “serve a far more sinister and wholly illegal purpose” than Beijing has acknowledged, including tracking and pursuing targets.
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Chinese ‘overseas service stations’ under scrutiny after claims they are illegal police stations
A recently unsealed indictment in the United States in a case of foreign interference against seven Chinese nationals described an example of a person accused of embezzlement and living in Canada who was in 2018 pressed into returning to China, and eventually went “despite initially not wanting to go back”.
The Chinese government coordinated some of the US operation from Toronto, it is alleged in the court documents.
China’s foreign ministry has said the reports were “completely false”. Spokeswoman Mao Ning added that its public security agencies “strictly abide by international law and fully respect the judicial sovereignty of other countries”.
