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Roundtrip flight, accommodation in “suitable accommodation”, fully equipped office space, accident and medical insurance and pocket money of 200 francs per working day – all this is provided by the Confederation to members of the Ministry of Public Security ( MPS) from the People’s Republic of China during their maximum two-week “missions” period in Switzerland.
These details can be found in the “Agreement on the Identification of Suspected Chinese Citizens with Irregular Residence in Switzerland”. The document was released this week by the human rights organization “Safeguard Defenders.”
The agreement was signed in December 2015 by representatives of the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) and the Chinese Ministry of Security MPS in Beijing. But until a report by “NZZ am Sonntag” in August 2020, its existence was a secret. That is extraordinary.
These agreements between Switzerland and other countries on the identification and repatriation of illegal residents are not uncommon. The SEM website lists 52 such contracts.
Espionage against Hong Kong dissidents and Uighurs?
The secrecy tactic in the China deal has its reasons. However, according to an analysis by Safeguard Defenders, the agreement with the Chinese has a “completely different character” than the corresponding agreements with other countries. For one thing, it is unusual for security agents from the People’s Republic to travel to Switzerland specifically to help identify suspected Chinese nationals. In such cases, the exchange is usually carried out through embassies or directly with the authorities of the presumed country of origin.
China and human rights expert Margaret Lewis, a law professor at Seton Hall University in the US, expressed her doubts to the British newspaper “Guardian” about whether the visits of Chinese agents in Switzerland really serve the purpose. predicted: “I find it strange that the People’s Republic of China is bothering to send official representatives because they are suspected of being Chinese citizens illegally residing in Switzerland.”
Chinese security forces patrol a mosque in the city of Kashgar, which is inhabited by the Uighur Muslim minority.
© Ng Han Guan / AP
Professor Lewis’s suspicion: “The incentives for MPS representatives to travel to Switzerland would be more people of special interest to the Chinese government.” This statement is explosive: the Chinese regime is known to be trying to pressure political refugees abroad, for example dissidents in Hong Kong or members of the oppressed Uighur minority in China. If Lewis’s assumption were correct, Switzerland would become an aid to Chinese repression.
“A significant security risk”
The fact that Chinese officials enter Switzerland as “experts without official status” is also questionable. In the agreement, the Swiss authorities agree to keep his identity secret. All that is recorded is that they will help local authorities to identify suspected Chinese nationals during their maximum stay of two weeks.
According to an appendix to the secret agreement, this official part of your “mission” cannot last more than five days in a row. Chinese agents can conduct surveys of up to six people a day.
But beyond that, his stay is unregulated, which is also unusual for such a deal. There is no restriction on activities related to your mission and no obligation to inform the Swiss authorities of your whereabouts. “What [die chinesischen Agenten] Doing this during these two weeks is completely unsupervised, “Peter Dahlin told The Guardian. He is director of the human rights group “Safeguard Defenders”.
In April 2019, China’s head of state Xi Jinping received then-Swiss President Ueli Maurer for a state visit to Beijing.
© Madoka Ikegami / Pool / EPA
According to the NGO, it can be assumed that Chinese agents without official status will enter the country on a normal tourist visa. That would allow them to travel to other Schengen countries. It can be assumed that MPS agents can theoretically go undercover in almost the entire European Union for two weeks and without the knowledge of the respective government: “This represents a significant security risk,” says the analysis.
“Systematic and serious violations of human rights”
Furthermore, Switzerland has no control over who the Chinese send to Switzerland. With a period of two months, the Chinese Ministry of Security invites you to send two representatives to Switzerland. But who the MPS assigns to Switzerland is entirely in the hands of the Chinese.
The ministry has far-reaching powers: in addition to immigration matters, it carries out police tasks in China, is responsible for national security, and has espionage and counterintelligence departments. According to Safeguard Defenders, the MPS is involved in widespread, systematic and serious human rights violations.
Inoperative since Monday
Upon request, the Secretary of State for Migration defends itself against the allegations. The agreement was “available for inspection” to the public at all times. The phrase “experts without official status” is used to distinguish between diplomats who represent China at the political level. Compensation of 200 francs per day is common in such cases.
An expert mission only took place once in 2016. Two Chinese officials entered the country on a Schengen visa. They did not receive “information on people in danger or persecuted.”
The agreement has not been in force since last Monday: the five-year period specified when it was signed in 2015 has expired. The continuation of the current agreement is basically in the interest of Switzerland: “However, there is no urgency for an extension,” he said. a spokesperson for SEM.
