Operation Sky Net Explained

Operation Sky Net, commonly known as Skynet (天网) is a clandestine operation of the Chinese Ministry of Public Security to apprehend Overseas Chinese it sees as fugitives guilty of financial crimes in mainland China. The initiative was launched in 2015 to investigate offshore companies and underground banks that transfer money abroad.^{[1] [2] [3]} It has reportedly been consolidated with Operation Fox Hunt and returned around 10,000 fugitives to China in the last decade, including political dissidents and activists.^{[4] [5]}

Human rights violations

Human rights NGO Safeguard Defenders highlighted methods used in Operation Sky Net, included the detention of fugitives' relatives in Mainland China, dispatching agents overseas to illegally intimidate the person in their overseas location, or kidnap them and return them to China.^{[6] [7]}

In some cases, authorities froze family assets or even threatened to take away their children.^{[8] [9] [10] [11]}

See also

• Operation Fox Hunt
• Anti-corruption campaign under Xi Jinping
• Chinese intelligence activity abroad
• Chinese information operations and information warfare
• Extraterritorial jurisdiction
• Hong Kong national security law
• Human rights in China
• Ministry of Public Security (China)
• Ministry of State Security (China)
• Political offences in China

Notes and References

1. News: 2015-03-27. China launches Sky Net to catch corrupt officials overseas. en-GB. BBC News. 2022-02-12.
2. Web site: 2015-03-29. China's anti-corruption campaign goes international as Beijing reaches out to uncover officials fled abroad. https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220524/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/operation-skynet-china-s-anticorruption-campaign-goes-international-as-beijing-reaches-out-to-uncover-officials-fled-abroad-10142310.html . 2022-05-24 . subscription . live. 2022-02-12. The Independent. en.
3. Web site: 2015-03-26. China ramps up global manhunt for corrupt officials with operation 'Skynet'. 2022-02-12. South China Morning Post. en. 2021-08-01. https://web.archive.org/web/20210801235801/https://www.scmp.com/news/article/1748113/china-ramps-global-manhunt-fugitive-corrupt-officials-skynet. live.
4. Web site: Loh. Matthew. Xi Jinping forced 10,000 people who fled overseas to return to China through an operation called 'Sky Net,' says human rights NGO. 2022-02-12. Business Insider. en-US.
5. Web site: Berg. Sebastian Rotella,Kirsten. Operation Fox Hunt: How China Exports Repression Using a Network of Spies Hidden in Plain Sight. 2022-02-12. ProPublica. 22 July 2021 . en.
6. News: Shepherd . Christian . April 29, 2022 . China's aggressive efforts to bring back fugitives grow more brazen . en-US . . 2022-05-06 . 0190-8286.
7. News: Alecci . Scilla . 2024-04-16 . China relied on extrajudicial means to force thousands of fugitives to repatriate, human rights activists say . 2024-05-04 . . en-US.
8. Web site: 2022-01-18. Involuntary Returns – report exposes long-arm policing overseas. 2022-02-12. Safeguard Defenders. en.
9. Web site: 2022-01-18. China forced 2,500 'fugitives' back from overseas during pandemic, report finds. 2022-02-12. the Guardian. en.
10. News: These Dissidents Thought They Had Escaped. Then China's Long Arm Grabbed Them. en. Haaretz. 2022-02-12.
11. Web site: Hale. Erin. 'Picking quarrels': China critics overseas at increasing risk. 2022-02-12. www.aljazeera.com. en. 2023-08-11. https://web.archive.org/web/20230811015807/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/1/18/china-critics-overseas-feel-the-long-reach-of-beijing-report. live.