Hungary has reached an explosive agreement with the People’s Republic of China: it allows Hungarian and Chinese police officers to patrol Hungary together. Liberal MEPs warn of an enormous danger to the European Union.
According to MPs, China is pursuing its own goals with this pact: it wants to monitor Chinese citizens abroad. For this purpose, the Beijing regime has already set up about 100 illegal Chinese police stations around the world, reports the Hungarian online portal “Nepszava.hu”, citing Spanish sources. It is said that 30 of them are in 14 EU countries. China is also said to have set up such a ‘hunting center’ in Vienna.
Tourist safety as official reason
The agreement between Hungarian Interior Minister Sándor Pintér and Chinese Public Security Minister Wang Xiaohong was concluded in February. The official reason for this was to improve the safety of tourists. China has already signed an agreement similar to the one with Hungary with Serbia, an EU candidate country.
At the instigation of the liberal Renew Europe group, the EU Parliament will therefore hold a debate on the “activity of Chinese police officers in Europe” during its plenary session on April 10, Hungarian media reported.
In a letter, Liberal MEPs drew attention to the fact that China is using illegal police stations and the presence of Chinese police officers to surveil Chinese people living in Hungary, to threaten and silence dissidents and to to force dissidents to return. This secret and illegal police activity would violate democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights and pose an enormous danger to the European Union and its Member States, Nepszava.hu said.
Hungary refers to cooperation with Austria
The Hungarian Ministry of the Interior denied any criticism and pointed out that such an agreement with China did not mean anything new. After all, Austrian police officers have already been deployed in Hungary and Hungarian police officers in Croatia.
China has one foot in the door
The Hungarian government under Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has long been flirting not only with Russia, but also with the Chinese regime – much to the chagrin of other EU countries. Hungary repeatedly went against the EU’s position when it came to condemning human rights violations in China or allowing Chinese investments, even as the EU called for such relations with Beijing to be coordinated with the other member states.
The security deal with Hungary is therefore a diplomatic victory for China, while the gap between Orban and his EU colleagues continues to widen.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
