China Expands Overseas Police Station Network
A Safeguard Defenders report says Chinese overseas police stations have not been shut down and now number nearly 1,250 designated operations.
Updated on Nov. 7, 2026 in Law Enforcement
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Safeguard Defenders reported that China's overseas police stations, which it says have not been shut down, now include 1,247 designated overseas liaison points operated by 74 Chinese authorities and Communist Party bodies in at least 91 countries. The report was released at the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China's annual summit in the Netherlands.
Why it matters
Five new Chinese national policies since late 2024 instruct authorities to export the domestic grid management system to monitor the Chinese diaspora abroad. Many affected countries have denounced the operations, and some have launched criminal investigations, raising questions about transnational surveillance of diaspora communities.
The network of 1,247 designated overseas liaison points is operated by 74 Chinese authorities and Communist Party bodies, with more than 10 police forces from five provinces involved. The extraction does not confirm the outcome of the criminal investigations some countries have launched.
The players
Safeguard Defenders
A human rights advocacy organization that has published reports documenting Chinese overseas police stations and related monitoring activity.
Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China
A group of legislators from multiple countries that holds an annual summit on China policy, where the report was released.
United Front Work Department
A Chinese Communist Party body that directs the overseas liaison points and oversees united front work with diaspora communities.
The details
The overseas offices operate under the direction of the Communist Party's United Front Work Department and are mostly run by the Overseas Chinese Federation. Chinese police, prosecutors, courts, and justice bureaus plug into infrastructure provided by united front-affiliated organizations to extend grid management abroad.
Timeline
Late 2024: Five new national policies began expanding overseas activities.
2022: Safeguard Defenders published two reports detailing more than 100 overseas stations.
November 7, 2026: Safeguard Defenders released its report at the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China summit.
Legal Context
Safeguard Defenders' 2022 reports documented more than 100 overseas stations in more than 50 countries, and many affected countries denounced the operations and launched criminal investigations. The new count of 1,247 designated points in 91 countries shows the network has grown well past the scale those reports described.
Members of diaspora communities in the 91 countries where these liaison points operate may face monitoring by Chinese authorities operating outside China. Residents in host countries may see criminal investigations or policy responses that shape how these operations are regulated locally.
The takeaway
Overseas surveillance of diaspora communities is a cross-border issue that affects both the monitored groups and the countries hosting them. Readers following the story can track whether investigations in host countries produce findings that confirm or contest the reported figures.
Further reading
For related coverage of how police activity crosses borders, see Law Enforcement.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Liberty Times Net.
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