China has relied on coercion, including kidnapping and pressuring families, to force some 10,000 "fugitives” to return from overseas, according to a new report that sheds light on a campaign that has stoked diplomatic tensions around the globe.
Chinese efforts to repatriate accused criminals netted 9,946 people since President Xi Jinping launched the initiative more than seven years ago, official data compiled by Safeguard Defenders shows. The statistics were released Tuesday as part of a broader report on the program by the Madrid-based human rights group, which found most returns China calls "voluntary” relied on covert or extrajudicial means to force those targeted to come back.
The repatriation push peaked at 2,041 in 2019 before the pandemic curbed travel and diplomatic exchanges around the globe, according to data released by anti-corruption authorities and published by state media. Nonetheless, the returns have continued, with 1,114 reported by the National Supervisory Commission in the first 11 months of last year.