The Fuzhou police says it has already opened 30 such stations in 21 countries. Other Chinese cities and provinces also operate their own stations.

Globally, the emergence of these stations have caused serious concern among human rights campaigners who fear Chinese security services are using them as a way of monitoring and controlling China’s large diaspora.

According to Chinese authorities, around 230,000 people have been “persuaded” to return to China from other countries since April 2021.

Safeguard Defenders said “persuasion” tactics used by Chinese police on overseas residents “eschew official bilateral police and judicial co-operation and violate the international rule of law”.

“It’s very important for the Chinese government to keep control on Chinese diaspora,” said Dahlin. “Traditionally when Chinese governments have fallen, it’s come from the outside. So there’s a historical paranoia there.”