China’s secret police may be operating in Ecuador

Photo: Google Maps / Infobae.

According to a report by the media outlet Infobae, written by Yalilé Loaiza and based on an investigation conducted by journalists Arturo Torres and María Belén Arroyo in collaboration with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, it was reported that secret police stations from the People’s Republic of China, known as 110 Overseas, are still operating in Ecuador. This report was published on the Ecuadorian platforms Código Vidrio and Vistazo.

In the investigative piece, the journalists reported that these stations operate under the guise of community and business associations. Moreover, they are officially presented as sites for consular assistance to Chinese citizens in various countries, which is why they bear the number “110” in their name, referring to the emergency number used in the asian country.

However, both the report and independent findings by several organizations, such as the NGO Safeguard Defenders, have presented evidence that in around 50 countries, these so-called consular assistance sites are used for operations involving espionage, surveillance, and pressure on political activists or Chinese citizens persecuted by the government led by Xi Jinping.

According to the journalistic report, these surveillance and espionage activities often bypass the legal framework and laws of the host country, due to actions such as political persecution, for example.

The last information available regarding the Chinese secret police in the Ecuadorian capital stated that the station had been officially shut down in May of the previous year, 2024, after being exposed. However, the journalists indicated that there are strong signs that the operations continue in the country, using different front organizations.

It was also mentioned that entrepreneurs with ties to the central Chinese government could be key figures in the operation of this secret police, contributing to surveillance and espionage activities in the city of Quito.

The investigation pointed out that the base of operations for this secret police station would be a travel agency located in the capital of the South American country. Regarding this company, the report stated that it had been led by a Chinese citizen named Wei F., who is a well-known member of the Chinese community due to his leadership in Chinese social organizations in Ecuador.

Regarding Wei F., it was reported that in the last month of 2023, he took a flight to his home country, and it is presumed that he may have returned to Ecuador via land, specifically through the border with Colombia, since there are no records of him entering Ecuador by sea or air.

Nevertheless, it is believed that he continues to direct activities within this institution through the travel agency, as he is still receiving income from said company, which is thought to function as a front. It is known that the Ecuadorian Prosecutor’s Office opened a tax fraud investigation against Wei, but the journalistic investigation mentioned that his ties to the company and the government of the People’s Republic of China remain through parallel structures.

Another key indicator that Wei was the mastermind and the link to the Chinese government in this secret police operation is the fact that both the travel agency and the physical office of the espionage agency, as well as the Chinese colony in Ecuador located in northern Quito were all run by the aforementioned Chinese citizen.

Additionally, it was reported that one of the businessmen connected to the travel agency identified himself as part of the volunteer team at the Chinese embassy in Quito and as an active member of the United Front of the Chinese Communist Party in Hebei. He also belonged to the Chinese community confederation in Ecuador.

Furthermore, in the report conducted by Arroyo and Torres, it was mentioned that Wei F. founded two companies registered with the Superintendency of Companies: a business consulting firm and the aforementioned travel agency, where Wei appeared as the manager and held bank accounts exceeding $10,000.

Similarly, there is a third travel company founded in 2019, managed by another Chinese citizen. Curiously, these companies have no record of profits; instead, they report losses, which is why it is believed that they are focused on surveillance and espionage services for the People’s Republic of China.

Last but not least, in connection with these events, Infobae reported that activist Zumretay Arkin who is persecuted by the Chinese government due to her activism and her belonging to the Uyghur ethnic group, was recently in Quito, where she denounced the systematic abuses committed by the Asian country against her and the Uyghur community. According to the investigation by the aforementioned independent journalists, the presence of Uyghur citizens in Ecuador may have been a key factor in the establishment of the secret police station.

Main Source:

Revelan que la policía secreta del régimen chino sigue operando en Ecuador – Infobae

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