The British government has been handing the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) the addresses and bank details of dissidents living in the United Kingdom, reports have revealed.
Having governed Hong Kong until the 1990s, Britain is a popular destination for pro-democracy activists seeking refuge from the Chinese authorities – but their reach is long, and they operate many so-called “secret police stations” in Western countries, including over 100 on British soil.
Now, it appears the British authorities may be aiding and abetting them, with The Times reporting that some Chinese nationals in Britain are being automatically “doxed” to Beijing under an international tax treaty.
“There is no reason why HMRC should be providing sensitive tax information on individuals to an authoritarian regime that has published a ‘wanted list’ of high-profile activists it seeks to target overseas,” said Sam Goodman, policy director at Hong Kong Watch, in comments to The Times.
In a wooden response to the revelations, His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) – the British equivalent of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) – insisted that it “exchanges data with around 100 countries to help tackle tax evasion and non-compliance in-line with international treaties,” and that this data “can only be used for tax purposes and all countries must pass a rigorous assessment by independent experts to ensure the data is used appropriately.”
How it ensures the information it hands to the notoriously secretive Chinese police state is only used “appropriately” was not explained.
The British did say people can ask to have their information withheld if they believe their human rights are at risk, but The Times notes that the means to do this is “hidden on an obscure part of the government website” – and not one person has had their information redacted to date.
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