politics
March 25, 2026
'They can reach me wherever': China using financial tactics to coerce people who flee, says report
UK urged to tackle transnational repression, as dissidents say Beijing has targeted them with tax bills and other threats
TL;DR
- Christopher Mung Siu-tat, a UK-based activist, received tax bills from Hong Kong authorities, describing it as the regime using the revenue department as a political tool.
- Siu-tat has faced several forms of transnational repression, including bounties for his arrest, questioning of relatives, cancellation of his passport, and visits from counter-terrorism police.
- A report by the China Strategic Risks Institute highlights China's use of economic transnational repression (TNR) tactics to coerce dissidents abroad.
- The report urges the UK to define economic TNR and prevent measures like freezing accounts, revoking qualifications, and issuing retrospective tax bills.
- Financial institutions in the UK and Germany face pressure to uphold Chinese domestic security laws extraterritorially.
- Hong Kong's mandatory provident fund (MPF) is used as a tool, with authorities refusing BNO passport holders early withdrawal of retirement funds.
- Former human rights lawyer Xiangui Fang was allegedly forced to give up his license in China due to political reasons after speaking critically of the rule of law.
- The Chinese embassy denies the allegations, stating they are unfounded and that combating money laundering is a shared responsibility.
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