Protection more important than saving face in overseas crime cases

A group of 37 suspected gangsters targeting Chinese in Angola was brought back by Chinese police recently.

The suspects, all Chinese nationals, were accused of kidnapping, forced prostitution and armed robbery.

The relationship between China and Africa has developed rapidly in recent years. There are an increasing number of Chinese citizens who have gone to work in the continent. The number of overseas Chinese tourists is also growing. But some countries in Africa, such as Angola, lack law and order. More protection of overseas Chinese is needed.

The role of Chinese police is becoming more and more important in protecting overseas citizens.

In April 2012, during his visit to China, Angolan Minister of the Interior Sebastian Jose Antonio Martins signed a cooperative agreement on safeguarding public security and social orders with Chinese State Councilor and Minister of Public Security Meng Jianzhu. Following the agreement, China dispatched a working group to Angola to conduct joint operations with local police. In the latest case, joint action played an important role in cracking down on the crimes.

After consultation, and with agreement from both sides, China can dispatch police liaison officers to another country to assist in its investigations. China sent its first group of police liaison officers to the US in 1998 to combat drug trafficking. In 2007, because of several cases related to Chinese citizens, China began to dispatch police liaison officers to South Africa. These officers share the same culture and language as Chinese suspects and Chinese victims. They can better protect the safety of Chinese citizens.

Dispatching police liaison officers is an innovative way of protecting people's rights. This kind of cooperation should be enhanced in the future. It is beneficial to both sides. Chinese police can better protect overseas citizens and the other country can more easily investigate relevant cases.

If there are a lot of criminal activities in China's territory related to a certain country, that country can also dispatch police liaison officers to China. In this way, mutual trust and cooperation can be built between the two to maintain public security.

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