LIANYUNGANG: China will train thousands of law enforcement officers from different countries over the next 12 months, its police chief said Monday, as it seeks to cement its role as a global security provider.
Police from China have trained 2,700 officers in the past year and are planning to coach 3,000 more from various countries over the next 12 months, public security minister Wang Xiaohong said in a speech at a conference in eastern China.
“We will (also) send police consultants to countries in need to conduct training to help them quickly and effectively improve their law enforcement capabilities,” Wang said.
The security conference held in the port city of Lianyungang in Jiangsu province drew law enforcement officers from 122 countries, regions, and international organizations including Malaysia, Myanmar, Pakistan and global police body Interpol.
The annual Lianyungang conference is seen as part of the Global Security Initiative (GSI) proposed by Chinese leader Xi Jinping in 2022, which aims to address international issues through cooperation with other countries.
However analysts have described the GSI as a way of expanding China’s global influence and chipping away at the current US-led security order.
“It’s almost like saying ‘if you don’t like the Western way of doing things, we’ve got the Chinese alternative’,” Benjamin Ho, an assistant professor at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies’ China Programme, told AFP.
“So certainly, China is trying to highlight some of these (policing) initiatives in a big way, and that’s part and parcel of its jostling for influence vis-a-vis the West,” Ho said.
Wang said in his speech to hundreds of conference delegates that law enforcement had been “politicized.”
“Normal international cooperation has been demonized,” Wang said, adding that China “rejects any form of hegemonism and bullying.”
He also said that regional security risks continue to “spill over,” including from the Ukraine war, the Israel-Palestinian conflict and tensions in the Red Sea.
Rose-gold handcuffs, batons and bulletproof vests were on display for potential overseas buyers at the conference venue.
Exhibition halls showcasing some of China’s latest policing equipment drew the attention of curious foreign visitors.
Armored vehicles lined the pavement leading to the exhibition and booths featured face-recognition software designed to help in identifying fugitives.
Ho said the Chinese were trying to highlight how “safe and secure” their country was, especially with their latest surveillance techniques.
“I suppose that kind of logic would have to be quite attractive to countries who may be struggling with their own domestic security,” Ho said.
“From the Chinese side, all these are opportunities for them to showcase their global security influence.”
China to train Pakistanis among 3,000 more overseas cops in next 12 months
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China to train Pakistanis among 3,000 more overseas cops in next 12 months
- The development comes as China seeks to cement its role as a global security provider
- Public security minister says they will also send police consultants to various countries
UN torture expert decries Pakistan ex-PM Khan’s detention
- Khan’s party alleges government is holding him in solitary confinement, barring prison visits
- Pakistan’s government rejects allegations former premier is being denied basic rights in prison
GENEVA: Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan is being held in conditions that could amount to torture and other inhuman or degrading treatment, the United Nations’ special rapporteur on torture warned Friday.
Alice Jill Edwards urged Pakistan to take immediate and effective action to address reports of the 73-year-old’s inhumane and undignified detention conditions.
“I call on Pakistani authorities to ensure that Khan’s conditions of detention fully comply with international norms and standards,” Edwards said in a statement.
“Since his transfer to Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi on September 26, 2023, Imran Khan has reportedly been held for excessive periods in solitary confinement, confined for 23 hours a day in his cell, and with highly restricted access to the outside world,” she said.
“His cell is reportedly under constant camera surveillance.”
Khan an all-rounder who captained Pakistan to victory in the 1992 Cricket World Cup, upended Pakistani politics by becoming the prime minister in 2018.
Edwards said prolonged or indefinite solitary confinement is prohibited under international human rights law and constitutes a form of psychological torture when it lasts longer than 15 days.
“Khan’s solitary confinement should be lifted without delay. Not only is it an unlawful measure, extended isolation can bring about very harmful consequences for his physical and mental health,” she said.
UN special rapporteurs are independent experts mandated by the Human Rights Council. They do not, therefore, speak for the United Nations itself.
Initially a strong backer of the country’s powerful military leadership, Khan was ousted in a no-confidence vote in 2022, and has since been jailed on a slew of corruption charges that he denies.
He has accused the military of orchestrating his downfall and pursuing his Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party and its allies.
Khan’s supporters say he is being denied prison visits from lawyers and family after a fiery social media post this month accusing army leader Field Marshal Asim Munir of persecuting him.
According to information Edwards has received, visits from Khan’s lawyers and relatives are frequently interrupted or ended prematurely, while he is held in a small cell lacking natural light and adequate ventilation.
“Anyone deprived of liberty must be treated with humanity and dignity,” the UN expert said.
“Detention conditions must reflect the individual’s age and health situation, including appropriate sleeping arrangements, climatic protection, adequate space, lighting, heating, and ventilation.”
Edwards has raised Khan’s situation with the Pakistani government.
