A number of recent reports have highlighted the involvement of Chinese nationals in transnational organised crime, though this issue is not new. China has been grappling with trafficking problems for some time, stemming from its now-defunct ‘one-child’ policy, declining birth rate, and ageing population. The geopolitical complexities have rendered China and its neighbouring countries, particularly in Southeast Asia, vulnerable to crimes such as trafficking, gambling, and smuggling, which have assumed a more transnational role and become a global security concern.
A significant contributing factor is linked to China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which now includes around 139 countries, including six in Southeast Asia.
Nature of organised crimes
For a long time, China has not only conveniently overlooked but quietly promoted ‘bride’ trafficking, involving the trafficking of young girls and women for marriage and sexual exploitation. This practice is not confined to Chinese provinces but extends to neighbouring countries such as Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, and Vietnam. A noticeable increase in bride trafficking cases was observed during the first half of 2020, with Asian countries being the primary source.
Women trafficked from these regions typically come from impoverished, vulnerable communities and are lured or kidnapped across the border to China under false pretences of employment or marriage that promises a better life. For example, the latest report on Bangladeshi women being trafficked to China for prostitution revealed that women from Bangladesh’s indigenous communities are more susceptible to becoming victims of human trafficking to China.
Chinese nationals are not only involved in human trafficking for sexual exploitation but also for online scam operations. Southeast Asian countries, particularly Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar (as well as the Philippines and Malaysia), have become destination countries for this crime. Under the false pretence of employment, China-linked organised criminal groups primarily target young people who lost their jobs during the pandemic, enticing them to travel to Southeast Asia through online advertisements. Upon arrival, trafficked individuals are reported to be confined, have their passports confiscated, and are subjected to physical torture, coercing them into committing telecom fraud, a practice identified as forced slavery.
The surge in trafficking for forced criminality in Southeast Asia is recognised as organised crime, generating $3 trillion annually, which Interpol defines as a ‘global crisis’.
In addition to human trafficking, a significant China-backed weapons network has been implicated in cross-border arms and drug smuggling. Myanmar, embroiled in civil war since the 2021 coup and experiencing an economic crisis, has become an ideal location for such activities. While China has maintained cordial relations with the military junta, it has also appeased rebel and insurgent groups through arms smuggling to ensure the smooth progress of its ongoing Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) projects.
Exploiting the porous Myanmar-Bangladesh border, Chinese-made weapons have been smuggled and supplied to the Arakan Army (AA) and the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA). Consequently, Chinese-backed cross-border arms smuggling is a primary reason for India’s escalating security issues in its north-eastern regions.
Transnational crimes and its link to BRI
A closer examination of countries in Southeast Asia, which have become hotspots for Chinese-linked transnational crimes, reveals a convergence with China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The connectivity routes established by these infrastructural projects have offered minimal benefits to Southeast Asian countries. Instead, there is growing concern over the risk of China’s debt-trap due to BRI investments.
Alongside promises of substantial investments, these projects have also increased opportunities for transnational organised crimes such as drug smuggling, online fraud, online gambling, and human trafficking. Findings from the Global Initiative against Transnational Organised Crime indicate that the BRI’s New Silk Road projects, particularly in developing economies, have attracted Chinese criminal groups involved in organised crime. These groups exploit the vulnerabilities of developing economies for their criminal activities, transforming BRI’s infrastructural development sites into crime hotspots.
The new infrastructural routes under the BRI have facilitated the transit of illicit trade across Southeast Asia’s borders. For instance, Cambodia’s port town of Sihanoukville, identified as a special economic zone and a flagship BRI project, has been linked to organised crime. Similarly, Myanmar’s Shwe Koko special economic zone, a hub of human trafficking and forced labour run by a Chinese syndicate, was presented as part of a BRI project.
Chinese Media
Chinese state-run media’s reporting on Chinese-linked transnational organised crimes is both calculative and selective. Only high-profile cases are mentioned, where Chinese anti-crime policies are praised, and annual crackdowns on various crimes are highlighted, along with joint efforts with other nations, particularly BRI countries. However, the systemic nature of these crimes and China’s broader complicity in facilitating them across its borders, adding to the complexity of the issue, are not discussed.
For example, when XinhuaNet reported on the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) report “Transnational Organized Crime in Southeast Asia: Evolution, Growth and Impact” (2019), which indicated the types of organised crime and their increasing operations in regions with weak governance in Southeast Asia, it systematically omitted the report’s findings on Chinese links to these crimes, such as China being one of the major destinations for trafficked victims and the direct and indirect connections to China of Southeast Asia’s drug trafficking routes.
Additionally, news of the detention and deportation of Chinese nationals involved in transnational organised crime is not’ reported. Such reports in Chinese media are primarily portrayed as Beijing’s repatriation efforts in joint collaborative initiatives with foreign governments.
How are affected countries responding?
Transnational organised crime linked to China, predominantly based in Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) nations, presents significant governance challenges alongside economic and security concerns. However, there is a notable absence of substantial efforts at the highest levels in affected countries to hold China accountable for the involvement of its nationals and criminal syndicates in organised crime abroad, which poses global security risks. Instead, there are occasional reports of arrests and deportations under pressure, often portrayed as joint efforts with the Chinese government.
In recent years, the Cambodian government has faced increasing pressure from local authorities to combat rising Chinese-linked scams in Sihanoukville, yet effective actions to address this issue remain elusive. Limited raids on small-scale scam operations and detentions of Chinese nationals have been reported, while those exposing illegal activities have reportedly encountered threats and security risks.
According to the 2024 United States Trafficking in Persons report, high-level Cambodian officials have been implicated in corruption and complicity in trafficking crimes. Similarly, in Laos, despite its special economic zones becoming hotspots for online scams, drug trafficking, and human trafficking, authorities have not reported any prosecutions. Although police presence in these zones is evident, their impact, as per US reports, remains negligible. Nevertheless, Laos routinely reports the deportation of Chinese detainees involved in organised crime.
Recently, the Myanmar military regime celebrated its effective capture of Chinese fraudsters, yet reports indicate shortcomings in its protective and preventive measures, highlighting governance deficiencies. The unequal power dynamics between China and its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) partner nations elucidate these countries’ covert actions and responses to such challenges.
Transnational organised crime linked to China poses not only a security threat to countries where it thrives but also affects neighbouring nations like India. India has expressed concerns over trafficking issues along its porous borders with Bangladesh and Myanmar. Moreover, China’s recent aggressive stance towards India, exemplified by border incursions, suggests that India is a target of Chinese-linked organised crime.
Recent incidents of Indian nationals trafficked to Cambodia and coerced into participating in fraudulent schemes by Chinese cybercriminals underscore this concern. India has actively pursued international cooperation, including joint operations and information sharing, to combat these challenges. Nonetheless, enhancing its law enforcement capabilities remains imperative at this juncture.
The writer is an author and columnist and has written several books. His X handle is @ArunAnandLive. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18’s views.
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