> That's what the fucking consulate is for. These sorts of services are often outsourced from consulates. For example, there are separate visa application cent

> That's what the fucking consulate is for. These sorts of services are often outsourced from consulates. For example, there are separate visa application centers set up by foreign governments in many countries. > It's a satellite spy office ... while conspicuously denying their role Unironically, that's what consulates are for. The whole story was reported as "police stations," which gave the public the false impression that Chinese police officers were roaming around Western cities arresting people. They could have been cover for spying, but what they were doing day-to-day was far more mundane than what the public thought, based on the headlines. > This arrangement is like me offering to "help" you by living in your backyard and peeking in your windows I don't see how this analogy holds. Chinese people interacted with these places on their own initiative, because it allowed them to handle bureaucratic things like renewing ID cards more easily.