China is to support the International Police Organization, commonly known as Interpol, raising the profile and leadership of the global police cooperation agency, Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) said yesterday at the opening of Interpol’s general assembly in Beijing, Chinese state media reported.
Last year, Interpol elected Chinese Deputy Minister of Public Security Meng Hongwei (孟宏偉), as its president, prompting rights groups to ask whether Beijing could try and use the position to go after dissidents abroad.
Xi said China’s stability was just as much its contribution to the world as its economic development, and that it firmly supported the international struggle against terrorism.
“China highly commends Interpol’s efforts to protect the world’s security and stability, and will continue to support Interpol to play an even more important role in global security governance,” Xi was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency.
‘DOUBLE STANDARDS’
Beijing has over the past few years tried to enlist the help of foreign governments to arrest and deport back to China suspects wanted on a range of charges, including corruption and terrorism.
Such requests have met resistance, particularly from Western countries where there have been concerns over whether evidence submitted by China met acceptable standards for Western courts.
There have also been worries that suspects might be mistreated and would not get a fair trial in China, and that allegations could be politically motivated.
In cross-border law enforcement cooperation, the laws of each country must be respected equally without “double standards,” Xi was quoted as saying.
Chinese Minister of Public Security Guo Shengkun (郭聲琨) told the assembly that China hoped to use international police cooperation to strengthen its defense against the threat of militants returning from abroad to join groups such as the East Turkestan Islamic Movement.
‘RED NOTICE’
Rights groups have said that China has misused Interpol’s “red notice” system to target exiled Uighurs from Xinjiang, accusing them of terrorism, including World Uyghur Congress general secretary Dolkun Isa.
Interpol secretary-general Juergen Stock, a German national, said the organization had “significantly increased” vetting of red notice requests from all 190 member nations and last year “99 percent” complied with Interpol’s internal regulations.
Stock reiterated that red notices were not international arrest warrants, but rather an “alert system” that enabled member nations to decide whether to take action “on the basis of their own legal assessment and situation.”
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