On July 24, the State Council Information Office held a series of press conferences themed “Start the ’15th Five-Year Plan’ with a Strong Beginning.”
At the meeting, Jiang Guoli, Director of the Criminal Investigation Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security, announced that to effectively combat cross-border telecom fraud, the Chinese government has initiated the formation of an International Alliance to Combat Telecom and Online Fraud. This proposal has received an enthusiastic response, with over 40 countries already expressing their interest in joining.
This intergovernmental organization is designed to have broad participation from law enforcement agencies of various countries, granting it substantial operational coordination and expertise. Its core functions include promoting the sharing and exchange of intelligence on telecom fraud cases across countries, breaking down cross-border information silos; improving the efficiency of joint crackdown operations and strengthening combined control over cross-border fraud suspects; and establishing a practical and effective routine cooperation mechanism for combating transnational telecom fraud.
China will host the inaugural meeting of the alliance in September during the Global Public Security Cooperation Forum.
The Global Public Security Cooperation Forum is an international platform for law enforcement and security collaboration hosted by the China Friendship Promotion Association. It aims to build a global public security cooperation framework based on joint discussion, joint construction, and shared benefits. Since 2022, it has been held annually in Lianyungang, Jiangsu Province, and has become a vital international cooperation mechanism for deepening the global public security governance system.
The persistent challenge of eradicating global telecom and online fraud stems largely from the fact that fraud hubs are often located in remote areas across borders. From tech development and customer acquisition to money laundering, they form a complete black market industrial chain. Differences in legal systems and law enforcement standards between countries, coupled with inefficient processes for cross-border information sharing, joint arrests, and suspect repatriation, create a lack of a unified global coordination framework, making it difficult to sustain a cohesive effort.
China has already engaged in international law enforcement cooperation with over 30 countries, establishing robust mechanisms that provide valuable, mature experience in cross-border collaboration for the alliance’s operations.
Since 2023, China has intensified its police cooperation with Myanmar, conducting a comprehensive crackdown on large-scale telecom fraud compounds in northern Myanmar. This effort has led to the capture and handover of over 59,000 suspects involved in fraud, completely dismantling the infamous “Four Families” criminal syndicate in Kokang, northern Myanmar.
During this year’s “Two Sessions” (annual parliamentary meetings), the Supreme People’s Procuratorate released its 2025 White Papers on the “Four Major Procuratorial Work” – criminal, civil, administrative, and public interest litigation. The white papers show that since the special operation began in 2023, procuratorial authorities have approved the arrest of 48,000 individuals repatriated from northern Myanmar and prosecuted 47,000.
Regarding the actions of the Bai, Ming, Wei, and Liu family criminal syndicates in northern Myanmar, which used armed protection for telecom fraud and harmed Chinese citizens, the Supreme People’s Procuratorate guided the prosecution of 285 individuals on charges including fraud, intentional homicide, and intentional injury, ensuring severe punishment according to the law.
Jiang Guoli also mentioned that in early 2025, China, Myanmar, and Thailand established a ministerial-level coordination mechanism for joint operations against telecom fraud. They launched a concentrated crackdown on fraud operations in the Myawaddy area, conducting ten consecutive joint repatriation operations. As a result, over 630 buildings in the Myawaddy KK Park complex have been completely demolished.
Entering 2026, Chinese police conducted their first-ever international law enforcement cooperation with authorities from the United States and the United Arab Emirates, successfully dismantling nine fraud dens and arresting 276 suspects. Deepened law enforcement cooperation with Cambodian police has also led to powerful crackdowns on fraud compounds and dens, resulting in the capture of several major crime syndicate leaders and key operatives.
On January 8, the Ministry of Public Security reported that, with the support and cooperation of Cambodian authorities, a task force successfully repatriated Chen Zhi (a Chinese national), the head of a major cross-border gambling and fraud syndicate, from Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Investigations revealed that Chen Zhi’s criminal syndicate was involved in multiple crimes, including operating illegal casinos, fraud, illegal business operations, and money laundering.
Earlier this month, in a joint statement, the governments of China and Thailand welcomed China’s proposal to establish the International Alliance to Combat Telecom and Online Fraud as a key platform for international cooperation.
As a relatively well-regulated economy and transportation hub in Southeast Asia, Thailand plays a crucial role in assisting cross-border law enforcement through its “SHIELD” international cooperation platform, which opens up intelligence and financial data-sharing channels to over a dozen participating countries, including the US and China, and helps locate fugitives.