China: That Secret NYC Police Station Is Just a Community Assistance Center

After two Chinese nationals in New York City were allegedly caught operating an illegal police station to “monitor and intimidate” critics of Beijing living in the United States, a Chinese official has offered an explanation that is, at the very least, smooth. In a Tuesday statement, Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C., told Newsweek that the site in question had been set up by “warm-hearted local people serving as volunteers” to provide “a place for overseas Chinese in need to access consultation and assistance.” Liu added: “There is no employment or affiliation with any Chinese government agency (including sub-national governments and public security agencies), nor are these sites authorized or delegated to provide the service.” He repeatedly emphasized that the “judicial sovereignty” of the United States had not been violated, and that no laws had been broken by “overseas Chinese” or the Chinese government. “We hope relevant parties will not hype up or dramatize this,” Liu said.