{"id":93714,"date":"2023-06-19T15:29:46","date_gmt":"2023-06-19T20:29:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/?p=93714"},"modified":"2023-06-19T15:29:46","modified_gmt":"2023-06-19T20:29:46","slug":"93714","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/?p=93714","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"

While the clueless losers chant \u201cRUSSIA! RUSSIA! RUSSIA!\u201d<\/em> , our goobermint has allowed Chinese commies to run amok in the U.S.<\/p>\n

Chinese Intel Arm Quietly Operates \u2018Service Centers\u2019 In 7 US Cities<\/a><\/p>\n

A Chinese intelligence agency quietly operates \u201cservice centers\u201d in seven American cities, all of which have had contact with Beijing\u2019s national police authority, according to state media reports and government records reviewed by the Daily Caller News Foundation.<\/p>\n

The Chinese Communist Party\u2019s (CCP) United Front Work Department (UFWD) \u2014 which at least one U.S. government commission has\u00a0characterized<\/a>\u00a0as a \u201cChinese intelligence service\u201d \u2014 operates so-called \u201cOverseas Chinese Service Centers\u201d (OCSCs) that are housed within various U.S.-based nonprofits. OCSCs were ostensibly set up to promote Chinese culture and assist Chinese citizens living abroad,\u00a0according<\/a>\u00a0to Chinese government records.<\/p>\n

State media reports, Chinese government records and social media posts show that during a 2018 trip to China, U.S.-based OCSC representatives met with Ministry of Public Security (MPS) officials. During the meeting, state security officials demonstrated how they\u2019re leveraging new technology to conduct \u201ccross-border remote justice services\u201d overseas.<\/p>\n

MPS is China\u2019s national police authority and has been\u00a0referred<\/a>\u00a0to as \u201cChina\u2019s FBI\u201d by China experts. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)\u00a0says<\/a> MPS also conducts covert \u201cintelligence and national security operations far beyond China\u2019s borders,\u201d including \u201cillicit, transnational repression schemes\u201d on U.S. soil.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

In April 2023, the DOJ\u00a0charged<\/a>\u00a0two men for allegedly opening a secret police station in New York on behalf of MPS in order to \u201cmonitor and intimidate dissidents\u201d and others critical of China.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no evidence U.S.-based service centers operate as, or house, secret police stations, and the DOJ has yet to mention these entities in any statements or legal filings. Nonetheless, OCSCs\u2019 association with China\u2019s United Front system and contact with MPS raised red flags for legal and intelligence experts.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe national security threat is real,\u201d Will Mackie, a career federal prosecutor and former trial attorney for the counterintelligence section of the DOJ\u2019s National Security Division, told the DCNF.<\/p>\n

\u201cSimply put, we should know which foreign government agents \u2014 including \u2018unofficial\u2019 actors \u2014 are operating in our country for whatever reason,\u201d Mackie said, adding that American nonprofits performing Chinese governmental duties is \u201cinconsistent\u201d with diplomatic protocol, if not \u201cillegal.\u201d<\/p>\n

After an extensive review of Chinese government and state-run media reports, the DCNF identified OCSC branches in\u00a0San Francisco, California<\/a>;\u00a0Houston, Texas<\/a>;\u00a0Omaha, Nebraska<\/a>;\u00a0St. Paul, Minnesota<\/a>;\u00a0Salt Lake City, Utah<\/a>;\u00a0St. Louis, Missouri<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Charlotte, North Carolina<\/a>.<\/p>\n

GOP lawmakers expressed serious concern over OCSCs operating within the U.S.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese centers aren\u2019t there to help people get a business license or help resolve a domestic dispute,\u201d Utah Republican Rep. Chris Stewart, a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, told the DCNF. \u201cThey\u2019re here to pressure, to use coercion and to use malicious influence.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tennessee Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn told the DCNF it was a \u201cdirect violation of our nation\u2019s sovereignty\u201d for the CCP to \u201cset up shop on our soil to threaten, surveil and kidnap Chinese American citizens with a dissenting opinion.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Eight Great Plans\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

The \u201cservice centers\u201d are at the heart of a larger CCP global influence strategy known as \u201cThe Eight Great Plans For Benefiting Overseas Chinese<\/a>,\u201d which was first\u00a0announced<\/a>\u00a0during a 2014 speech by\u00a0Qiu Yuanping<\/a>, then the director of the Chinese government\u2019s Overseas Chinese Affairs Office.<\/p>\n

According to Chinese government\u00a0documents<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0reports<\/a>\u00a0from China experts, the UFWD took control of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office in 2018. The U.S.-China Economic Security and Review Commission\u00a0describes<\/a>\u00a0the UFWD as the CCP organ \u201cresponsible for coordinating [foreign and domestic] influence operations\u201d\u00a0as well as<\/a> a \u201cChinese intelligence service.\u201d<\/p>\n

UFWD\u2019s \u201coverseas Chinese work\u201d aims to \u201cco-opt ethnic Chinese individuals and communities living outside China, while a number of other key affiliated organizations guided by China\u2019s broader United Front strategy conduct influence operations targeting foreign actors and states,\u201d according to the commission.<\/p>\n

The Overseas Chinese Affairs Office Director Chen Xu also serves as the UFWD\u2019s deputy director,\u00a0according<\/a>\u00a0to the Chinese government. Qiaowang\u00a0reported<\/a>\u00a0Chen Xu spoke at a conference held in Beijing in May that included OCSC officials from around the world. The conference was jointly sponsored by the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office and the All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese, a key united front group,\u00a0according<\/a>\u00a0to China experts.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the next five years, relying on overseas Chinese organizations that have the public\u2019s trust, we will guide and support the construction of Overseas Chinese Service Centers in cities where overseas Chinese are concentrated and where there\u2019s an urgent need for constructing harmonious overseas Chinese communities,\u201d Qiu Yuanping\u00a0said<\/a> in her 2014 speech.<\/p>\n

Shortly thereafter, the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office\u00a0provided<\/a>\u00a0the initial funding to establish OCSC branches around the world and\u00a0tasked<\/a>\u00a0them with a variety of seemingly mundane duties in support of China\u2019s foreign ministry, according to Chinese state-run media and government reports. Duties range from\u00a0processing<\/a>\u00a0Chinese passport and travel permit applications to so-called \u201cconsular protection<\/a>\u201d activities that include\u00a0emergency<\/a>,\u00a0medical<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0disaster<\/a> response work, according to reports.<\/p>\n

Despite this directive, a Chinese Embassy spokesperson told the DCNF that the centers are simply formed by \u201cwarm-hearted\u201d volunteers and have no \u201caffiliation with any Chinese government agency.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since 2014, OCSCs have expanded to at least 60 locations worldwide,\u00a0according<\/a> to multiple reports from Qiaowang, a Chinese news service that acts as a propaganda arm for the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office.<\/p>\n

Qiaowang reports also reveal the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office\u2019s efforts to establish service centers in at least seven U.S. cities.<\/p>\n

In September 2014, the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office held the first of four annual awards ceremonies in Beijing for OCSC branches,\u00a0according<\/a>\u00a0to Qiaowang. During the ceremony, the\u00a0Chinese American Association of Commerce<\/a>\u00a0in\u00a0San Francisco, California<\/a>\u00a0was\u00a0announced<\/a>\u00a0as the first U.S. OCSC branch, Qiaowang\u00a0reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Overseas Chinese Affairs Office announced in 2015 the\u00a0Chinese Civic Center<\/a>\u00a0in\u00a0Houston, Texas<\/a>, would also house an OCSC, a Chinese state-run media outlet\u00a0reported<\/a>. Qiu Yuanping personally attended the grand opening of the Houston OCSC in February 2016,\u00a0according<\/a> to the Chinese government.<\/p>\n

In September 2016, the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office unveiled more OCSC locations, including one in Omaha, Nebraska, Qiaowang\u00a0reported<\/a>. The Omaha OCSC is housed within the\u00a0Nebraska Chinese Association<\/a>,\u00a0according<\/a>\u00a0to Qiaowang.<\/p>\n

The Overseas Chinese Affairs Office also\u00a0announced<\/a>\u00a0the\u00a0Chinese American Association of Minnesota<\/a>\u00a0in St. Paul would house an OCSC branch in 2016. The group\u2019s co-director received a commemorative plaque\u00a0in October 2016,\u00a0according<\/a>\u00a0to Qiaowang.<\/p>\n

In September 2017, the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office announced the final batch of service centers, including one in Salt Lake City, Utah,\u00a0according<\/a>\u00a0to Qiaowang. The Salt Lake City OCSC is located within the Utah Chinese Civic Center,\u00a0according<\/a> to the group\u2019s website. The Utah Chinese Civic Center\u2019s website also states that it hosts an OCSC that\u2019s \u201clicensed\u201d by the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office.<\/p>\n

The Overseas Chinese Affairs Office also established an OCSC in St. Louis, Missouri,\u00a0according<\/a>\u00a0to Qiaowang. The St. Louis service center is located within the\u00a0Chinese Education and Culture Center<\/a>, and a top Chinese consulate official from Chicago attended the branch\u2019s opening ceremony,\u00a0according<\/a>\u00a0to the consulate\u2019s website.<\/p>\n

The final U.S. OCSC location announced during the 2017 ceremony was in Charlotte, North Carolina,\u00a0according<\/a>\u00a0to Qiaowang. The Charlotte OCSC is\u00a0housed<\/a>\u00a0within the\u00a0Carolinas Chinese Chamber of Commerce<\/a>, according to a report from Qiaowang.<\/p>\n

The Chinese American Association of Commerce, the Chinese Civic Center in Utah, the Chinese American Association of Minnesota and the St. Louis Chinese Education and Culture Center did not respond to multiple requests for comment.<\/p>\n

A receptionist at Houston\u2019s Chinese Civic Center confirmed the organization hosted a \u201cChinese service center\u201d in a phone call with the DCNF. Similarly, a woman who only identified herself as an \u201cassociate\u201d of the Nebraska Chinese Association confirmed the organization housed a \u201cChinese center\u201d while speaking with the DCNF.<\/p>\n

When the DCNF called the Carolinas Chinese Chamber of Commerce, a man who identified himself as a \u201cfounding member\u201d of the Charlotte \u201cChinese service center\u201d answered the phone. He confirmed the service center was housed within the Charlotte-based nonprofit.<\/p>\n

\u2018Overseas Chinese Police Contact Points\u2019<\/b><\/p>\n

Chinese government records and state-run media reports reveal that U.S.-based OCSC representatives met with officials from China\u2019s Ministry of Public Security. The FBI has accused<\/a>\u00a0the ministry\u00a0of conducting \u201ctransnational repression<\/a>\u201d schemes in the U.S. targeting Chinese dissidents and human rights activists.<\/p>\n

MPS\u2019 most\u00a0notorious<\/a>\u00a0transnational repression scheme is operation\u00a0Fox Hunt<\/a>. The operation uses \u201cunsanctioned, unilateral and illegal practices, including coercion, extortion and intimidation\u201d to \u201cforcibly repatriate\u201d alleged Chinese criminals living overseas,\u00a0according<\/a>\u00a0to a 2020 DOJ complaint.<\/p>\n

Between 2014 and 2018, the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office sponsored a series of China trips for OCSC officials, according to Chinese government and state-run media reports. During these visits, participants frequently discussed how OCSC branches could assist Chinese law enforcement while abroad.<\/p>\n

The Overseas Chinese Affairs Office convened an OCSC conference in Beijing in January 2018 that featured multiple work meetings across China focused on international law enforcement,\u00a0according<\/a>\u00a0to multiple Chinese state media reports.<\/p>\n

Representatives from all seven of the U.S.-based OCSCs attended the Beijing conference, according to multiple reports from the conference and photos reviewed by the DCNF.<\/p>\n

In Beijing, the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office head Qiu Yuanping announced that improving \u201clegal services\u201d and developing an \u201conline platform\u201d would be among her organization\u2019s annual goals, Qiaowang\u00a0reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n

On the third day of the conference, OCSC representatives traveled to Zhejiang province and met with MPS officials at a police station that serves as the nerve center for multiple \u201cOverseas Chinese Police Contact Points<\/a>\u201d around the world. Representatives from all seven U.S.-based OCSCs visited the Zhejiang police station, according to state media reports and government social media posts.<\/p>\n

During the visit, OCSC officials\u00a0posed for photos<\/a>\u00a0with uniformed MPS officers and\u00a0participated<\/a>\u00a0in a series of demonstrations of an MPS-developed \u201cinternet + law enforcement\u201d platform. The MPS platform\u00a0provides<\/a>\u00a0\u201ccross-border remote justice services for overseas Chinese,\u201d according to\u00a0China News Service<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Qiaowang<\/a> reports.<\/p>\n

In one demonstration, the Zhejiang police station used the MPS platform to contact \u201cspecial duty police officers\u201d in Milan, Italy, according to Chinese government social media posts. These \u201cspecial duty police officers\u201d then delivered a report on their operations to the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office.<\/p>\n

Following the video call, an Overseas Chinese Affairs Office official instructed OCSC representatives \u201cto learn\u201d from the police station\u2019s \u201cmodel\u201d in order to \u201cbetter provide for the well-being of overseas Chinese,\u201d according to a Chinese government social media post.<\/p>\n

The OCSC delegation also visited an \u201cExtraterritorial Video Trial Court\u201d specializing in domestic affairs, according to the Zhejiang court\u2019s social media account. OCSC representatives participated in an international video call with the court\u2019s \u201cOverseas Chinese Police Contact Point\u201d in France,\u00a0according<\/a>\u00a0to a report from a\u00a0United Front<\/a>\u00a0organization.<\/p>\n

During this call, police contact point officials in France \u2014 several of whom belong to an\u00a0OCSC<\/a> in Paris \u2014 explained how they used MPS technology to remotely handle legal matters such as divorces and property disputes, according to the United Front group.<\/p>\n

The \u201cExtraterritorial Video Trial Court\u201d had \u201ctried\u201d 77 international cases and mediated 18 disputes using the virtual MPS platform, according to a January 2018 social media post from the court. The post did not elaborate on the specifics of any litigation or the enforcement of any international legal judgments.<\/p>\n

After the court call, an Overseas Chinese Affairs Office official leading the OCSC delegation called on attendees to learn from the court\u2019s experience and build a global internet legal service to realize \u201cthe Chinese people\u2019s dream,\u201d the court reported.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s unknown whether or not U.S. service centers now utilize any of the technology showcased during their visit with MPS officials, but details of the trip alarmed national security experts who spoke with the DCNF.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the internationalization of monitoring and control,\u201d said Steve Yates, former deputy national security adviser to former vice president Dick Cheney. \u201cAn organized government effort to extend sovereign government operations internationally \u2014 and to use charitable and affinity organizations as the cover through which to engage in espionage and police activity \u2014 crosses a pretty significant line.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chinese government and state-run media reports indicate that OCSC branches outside the U.S. often perform law enforcement functions, including by\u00a0serving<\/a>\u00a0as MPS \u201cOverseas Chinese Police Contact Points\u201d and\u00a0conducting<\/a>\u00a0\u201carmed patrols\u201d in a number of countries, such as South Africa.<\/p>\n

Several OCSC branches outside the U.S. also house MPS police stations from Fuzhou province, such as Dublin, Ireland\u2019s\u00a0OCSC<\/a>, according to its social media account. The Dublin OCSC said its office is designed to assist Chinese nationals with government services, including issuing overseas ID card renewals and conducting physical exams for driver\u2019s licenses.<\/p>\n

There is, however, no evidence that U.S.-based service centers host MPS police stations like the one the FBI\u00a0raided<\/a>\u00a0in New York City last year.<\/p>\n

Texas Republic Rep. Morgan Luttrell, who is a member of the Subcommittee on Intelligence and Special Operations, characterized the OCSC program as a \u201cserious national security threat.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs the Chinese government uses every tool at its disposal to infiltrate the U.S. and grow its influence on the global stage, we must take bold action to counter the CCP\u2019s malign activity,\u201d Luttrell told the DCNF.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

While the clueless losers chant \u201cRUSSIA! RUSSIA! RUSSIA!\u201d , our goobermint has allowed Chinese commies to run amok in the U.S. Chinese Intel Arm Quietly Operates \u2018Service Centers\u2019 In 7 US Cities A Chinese intelligence agency quietly operates \u201cservice centers\u201d in seven American cities, all of which have had contact with Beijing\u2019s national police authority, … Continue reading “”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,9,49,50],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-93714","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-corruption","category-enemies-foreign-domestic","category-espionage","category-goobermint"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93714","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=93714"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93714\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":93715,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93714\/revisions\/93715"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=93714"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=93714"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=93714"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}