4 ms·

FBI chief says China threatens families to coerce overseas critics to return

93 points by spzx 6y ago

stanislavb 6y ago
"Wray related a case in which he said the Chinese government sent “an emissary” to visit a family in the United States of an unidentified target who could not be located. The emissary left a message that the target could chose between returning to China or committing suicide, Wray said." … this sounds disgusting and unfortunately believable :/
- guardiangod 6y ago
  A few weeks ago a huge university entrance (gaokao) scandal was exposed in China. https://www.economist.com/china/2020/07/05/as-students-prepare-for-chinas-college-entrance-exam-a-scandal-brews https://www.economist.com/china/2020/07/05/as-students-prepa... CHEN CHUNXIU was applying to join an adult-education programme when she discovered, to her surprise, that she already had a degree. The 36-year-old kindergarten teacher from Shandong province had left formal education in 2004 after taking the gaokao, China’s fearsome university-entrance exam. Though she had attained a respectable score, she had failed to secure a place. When, this year, she asked Shandong University of Technology to explain why its records listed her as an alumnus, the answer was a shock. The university concluded that another young woman with the same surname but much lower grades had connived with teachers and local officials to obtain the college-acceptance notice that should have been sent to Ms Chen. This woman had assumed Ms Chen’s identity and earned a degree, which she then used to bag a job as a civil servant. Whereas Chen became a migrant worker. After Chen exposed someone literally stole her life, the local and Shangdong provincial governments contacted her relatives and friends and told them to pressure her into silent, or else. According Chen, quite a few relatives were angry at her for 'uncovering ancient history' and bring trouble to all her relatives. Chen, however, was determined to continue as her late father used all his savings to support her study effort. Yeah, it's a pretty common tactic of the PRC to use families as hostages.
  - kelnos 6y ago
    And the culture and state propaganda just reinforces and validates this behavior: it's telling that her relatives were pissed at her for digging into something like this, because it would affect them negatively due to government pressure.
- throwawayzyx 6y ago
  Could the suicide of the Chinese physics professor at Stanford have been an example of this gruesome policy? https://www.stanforddaily.com/2018/12/30/following-stanford-physics-professors-passing-rumors-of-ties-to-chinese-government-emerge/ https://www.stanforddaily.com/2018/12/30/following-stanford-...
- csense 6y ago
  If your family's in China, it's trivially easy for the Chinese government to arrest them and mail you one finger a week until you comply. If your family's in the US, they'd have to send a murder squad. Couldn't US counterintelligence simply set up a trap at your house to capture/kill that murder squad?

93 points by spzx 6y ago

"Wray related a case in which he said the Chinese government sent “an emissary” to visit a family in the United States of an unidentified target who could not be located. The emissary left a message that the target could chose between returning to China or committing suicide, Wray said." … this sounds disgusting and unfortunately believable :/

guardiangod 6y ago
A few weeks ago a huge university entrance (gaokao) scandal was exposed in China. https://www.economist.com/china/2020/07/05/as-students-prepare-for-chinas-college-entrance-exam-a-scandal-brews https://www.economist.com/china/2020/07/05/as-students-prepa... CHEN CHUNXIU was applying to join an adult-education programme when she discovered, to her surprise, that she already had a degree. The 36-year-old kindergarten teacher from Shandong province had left formal education in 2004 after taking the gaokao, China’s fearsome university-entrance exam. Though she had attained a respectable score, she had failed to secure a place. When, this year, she asked Shandong University of Technology to explain why its records listed her as an alumnus, the answer was a shock. The university concluded that another young woman with the same surname but much lower grades had connived with teachers and local officials to obtain the college-acceptance notice that should have been sent to Ms Chen. This woman had assumed Ms Chen’s identity and earned a degree, which she then used to bag a job as a civil servant. Whereas Chen became a migrant worker. After Chen exposed someone literally stole her life, the local and Shangdong provincial governments contacted her relatives and friends and told them to pressure her into silent, or else. According Chen, quite a few relatives were angry at her for 'uncovering ancient history' and bring trouble to all her relatives. Chen, however, was determined to continue as her late father used all his savings to support her study effort. Yeah, it's a pretty common tactic of the PRC to use families as hostages.
- kelnos 6y ago
  And the culture and state propaganda just reinforces and validates this behavior: it's telling that her relatives were pissed at her for digging into something like this, because it would affect them negatively due to government pressure.
throwawayzyx 6y ago
Could the suicide of the Chinese physics professor at Stanford have been an example of this gruesome policy? https://www.stanforddaily.com/2018/12/30/following-stanford-physics-professors-passing-rumors-of-ties-to-chinese-government-emerge/ https://www.stanforddaily.com/2018/12/30/following-stanford-...
csense 6y ago
If your family's in China, it's trivially easy for the Chinese government to arrest them and mail you one finger a week until you comply. If your family's in the US, they'd have to send a murder squad. Couldn't US counterintelligence simply set up a trap at your house to capture/kill that murder squad?