China accuses Canada of smearing its reputation over alleged secret police stations
Trudeau said the presence of Chinese police stations in Canada 'concerns us enormously'
China on Friday accused Canada of smearing its reputation over allegations China is secretly operating two overseas police stations in Quebec.
Canada should "stop sensationalizing and hyping the matter and stop attacks and smears on China," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a daily briefing.
"China has been ... strictly abiding by international law and respecting all countries' judicial sovereignty," Mao said.
The spokesperson did not comment on the existence of the police stations or whether they were operated by Chinese government authorities.
Canadians of Chinese origin have been victims of activities carried out by the stations, Sgt. Charles Poirier of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said Thursday. Canada will not tolerate any type of intimidation, harassment or targeting of diaspora communities, Poirier said.
The RCMP's Integrated National Security Team has opened investigations into the suspected police stations in Montreal and Brossard, a suburb just south of the city, he said.
This is reaction to allegations that two Montreal-area centres are being used as Chinese state-backed "police stations" to intimidate or harass Canadians of Chinese origin, according to Reuters.
Mounting allegations of Chinese interference
The investigation adds to mounting allegations of Chinese interference in Canada's internal affairs, including accusations by Ottawa that Beijing tried to influence the last two Canadian elections.
China has denied all of those accusations.
But the RCMP in Quebec said in a statement, "We are carrying out police actions aimed at detecting and disrupting these foreign state-backed criminal activities, which may threaten the safety of persons living in Canada."
Countries including the United States and the Netherlands have conducted similar probes following a report in September by Safeguard Defenders, a Europe-based human rights organization, detailing the presence of dozens of Chinese police "service stations" in major cities globally.
In November, the RCMP also launched an investigation into similar reports of Chinese "police service stations" in the Toronto area. The RCMP in Ontario did not respond to a request for information on that probe on Thursday.
The RCMP's deputy commissioner for federal policing, Michael Duheme, told a parliamentary committee last week that the agency has "taken overt actions" that led to the ceasing of operations at four alleged Chinese police stations.
Stations used to intimidate: human rights group
The Chinese embassy in Ottawa did not respond to a request for comment to Reuters. It has previously said that there are centres outside China run by local volunteers, not Chinese police officers, that aim to help Chinese citizens renew documents and offer other services disrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Spanish human rights organization Safeguard Defenders says China has scores of such stations across the globe, including in the U.K. and the U.S.
In a report last September, it said the stations were used to "harass, threaten, intimidate and force targets to return to China for persecution."
The Chinese Foreign Ministry has previously described the foreign outposts as service stations for Chinese people who are abroad and need help with bureaucratic tasks such as renewing their Chinese driver's licenses.
Such citizen services are normally performed by an embassy or consulate.
'Enormous concern': Trudeau
Beijing has launched dual multi-year campaigns to bring suspects wanted mostly for economic crimes back to China, but says its agents overseas operate in line with international law. U.S. authorities say that has not always been the case.
The outposts have fuelled global concerns that the ruling Chinese Communist Party is seeking control over its citizens abroad, often by using threats against their families and welfare, while undermining democratic institutions overseas and gathering economic and political intelligence.
WATCH | Why RCMP are investigating Chinese 'service stations':
Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly said Thursday concerns over foreign interference were behind Canada's refusal to issue a diplomatic visa to a political operative for China last fall.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the presence of Chinese police stations in Canada "concerns us enormously."
"We've known about the [presence of] Chinese police stations across the country for many months, and we are making sure that the RCMP is following up on it and that our intelligence services take it seriously," Trudeau told reporters in Ottawa.
Canada-China relations nosedived in 2018 after China jailed two Canadians on allegedly trumped-up charges shortly after Canada arrested Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of technology giant Huawei and the daughter of the company's founder, on a U.S. extradition request.
They were sent back to Canada in 2021 on the same day Meng returned to China after reaching a deal with U.S. authorities in her case.
With files from Reuters, Ismail Shakil and Molly Cone