Canada issues warning to China over alleged police stations

Amid the growing conflict between Canada and China, reports suggest that Canada summoned the Chinese ambassador to the country to issue a warning about the reported ‘Chinese Overseas Police Stations’ located in Canada and around the world. Reports have identified at least three such police stations to be in Ontario.

Weldon Epp, the director general of North Asia for Canada’s foreign ministry, while addressing a special parliamentary committee on the relations between China and Canada, asserted, “We’ve had several engagements. We’ve called the ambassador in on multiple occasions, and we have conveyed our deep concern.”

“The government of Canada has formally insisted that the Chinese government take account for… any activities within Canada that fall outside of the Vienna Conventions, and account for those and ensure that they cease and desist.”

Authorities will take “further decisions for how we take that forward, depending on how they respond” according to Epp.

In October of this year, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police also stated to news outlets that the police were “investigating reports of criminal activity in relation to the so-called ‘police’ stations.”

“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,” the RCMP added.

It is pertinent to note that China has adamantly denied the reports of the nation setting up police stations abroad. Speaking to media outlets, The Chinese embassy stated that these overseas service stations are run by volunteers who are “not Chinese police officers” and are “not involved in any criminal investigation or relevant activity.”

According to reports, most of these ‘stations’ are operating in Europe in places such as London, Amsterdam, Prague, Budapest, Athens, Paris, Madrid and Frankfurt.  Apart from the three in Ontario, a fourth ‘station’ is supposedly located in the US, in New York.