Portugal joins global probe into illegal Chinese police stations

Portugal became the latest nation to open a probe into allegations that China has been running “illegal police stations” in the country just as Ireland ordered Beijing to shut down its “overseas Chinese police service centre” in Dublin, media reports said.Portuguese police launched an investigation into China’s alleged overseas police “service stations”, the Attorney General’s Office confirmed to the Expresso newspaper on Thursday.The authorities are paying “special attention” to the Chinese Embassy in Lisbon after Portuguese lawmakers raised concerns about a report by human rights group — Safeguard Defenders — in September that Chinese authorities operate 54 “police stations” overseas, including three in Portugal, RFA reported.A growing number of governments, including Canada, the UK, Spain and the Netherlands, are investigating reports about Chinese police offices overseas that are accused of coercing emigrants to return home to China to face criminal charges or silencing dissent abroad, RFA reported.Until now, no cases of immigrants living in Portugal having been forced to travel to China are yet known, the Expresso quoted a police source as saying.Also on Thursday, Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs ordered the so-called Fuzhou Police Service Overseas Station in Dublin city centre to close, Irish media reported.