Beijing’s Transnational Repression Faces Flak by the Dutch Government

Repressive regimes tend to use violence, intimidation and technology to silence its dissidents abroad. A report published by Freedom House on February 04, 2021, argues that “transnational repression” has become more common. It found that 31 states had physically attacked their citizens living in other countries since 2014.

Millions have been intimidated by harassment, digital surveillance and smear campaigns. Common tactics include withholding travel documents, denying consular services and threatening relatives back home.

China is one such country that has gone beyond its territory to harass and intimidate its citizens settled abroad. People who have received such threats are the ones who have spoken about the repression by the Chinese Government against minorities such as Uyghurs, Tibetans, political dissidents etc.

However, for the first time a case has come to notice in the Netherlands where a non-Chinese, a Dutch journalist in a leading newspaper ‘De Volkskrant’, has been intimidated by unknown Chinese agents. The journalist, Marije Vlaskamp, was the correspondent of the newspaper in Beijing from 2001 to 2019. She has been regularly writing critical articles on sensitive subjects and has supported Chinese dissidents in the Netherlands even after returning from China. Vlaskamp has been subject of Chinese intimidation and was implicated in a conspiracy to bomb (October 2022) the Chinese Embassy in The Hague along with one Chinese dissident, Wang Jingyu whom she supports. Tsering Jampa, Secretary of the Tibet Support Group, along with other minorities based in the Netherlands has regularly highlighted threats from states such as China.

Recently, they called for the creation of the post of the National Coordinator against Foreign Interference through an article published in ‘De Volkskrant’ newspaper in April. The Dutch Government has now taken a serious view of the matter and has sent a letter to the Parliament explaining the proposed measures to be taken against foreign interference which includes amongst others setting up a ‘hotline’ for victims and stricter criminalization of foreign espionage.

The above case illustrates how Beijing uses surveillance and data collected on individuals for intimidation, blackmail and coercion of its opponents, based in foreign countries. Extraterritorial repression is not new for China, what is new is the ease with which Chinese authorities are now able to snoop on its dissidents.

Chinese police stations operating abroad have made it even easier for them to oppress its dissidents beyond its shores. The internet and social-media networks which at first connected and empowered citizens are now being used by Beijing to trap them and go after them.

The host countries must take the responsibility of protecting human rights of citizens of other countries to prevent such rogue states from getting away with harassing its dissidents abroad.

(Geo-politik)