China is sending mercenaries
to protect overseas Chinese projects
But they’re also involved in some pretty shady things.
And they’re being trained by Americans.
Welcome to China Uncensored, I’m Chris Chappell.
The Chinese Communist Party is spending a lot of money on its Belt and Road Initiative.
That’s China’s multi-trillion-dollar infrastructure plan to spread trade.
And more importantly, to spread political influence over the entire world.
A lot of countries in the Belt and Road Initiative make deals allowing Chinese workers to build
projects on their land.
It’s a huge win for the Chinese Communist Party.
But it’s risky business for the workers.
Many Chinese workers face danger in local conflicts, because they’re being sent to
unstable dictatorships.
And they can be targeted by angry locals protesting—who conflate Chinese workers with the Chinese
regime.
If the Chinese Communist Party had its way, it would send its military and police force
abroad.
Yes, to protect its workers.
But also, to protect its own political interests.
But it can’t send its military, so instead it sends Chinese mercenaries.
China is sending private security companies—also known PSCs.
“Private security is becoming a must for Chinese companies working in unstable regions,
especially after a recent spate of attacks and kidnappings.”
“The private security and bodyguard business is booming in China.
Billionaires, millionaires, and powerful business people need more and more protection, and
sometimes the personal bodyguards serve as a symbol of their status and prestige.”
China technically bans private *military* companies—the kind that provide direct support
for combat operations.
But they do allow private *security* companies, PSCs, to focus on non-combat roles.
Those are things like bodyguarding and site security.
And Chinese law even allows these companies to use firearms in some of their services.
The line between military and private security is a bit blurry.
And that’s ok.
Because the Chinese regime sees a lot of advantages to putting these PSCs in Belt and Road countries.
They’re relatively low-profile, and they’re cheap.
Overseas PSCs provide services ranging from security at project sites, to armed escort,
mine clearances, emergency rescues, and even maritime security.
But they operate in a legal gray zone.
Because even though they’re technically not military, they’re still basically mercenaries.
Chinese domestic laws don’t apply to their international activities, so technically they
have to abide by the local host countries’ laws.
But they don’t always do that.
Sometimes this comes back to bite them, especially if Chinese PSCs run into conflict with local
police forces.
That’s why Cambodia banned foreign security guards in 2019.
Despite the risks, they can be useful for protecting Chinese state interests with plausible
deniability.
If they get caught doing something bad, the Chinese Communist Party can say, ‘They’re
just a private company doing their own thing.
I didn’t make them do that.’
“The message from Beijing is that Chinese PSCs are neither an extension of the [People’s
Liberation Army] nor an armed wing of the Chinese Communist Party.”
So essentially, it’s kind of like when someone writes “My tweets are my own opinions and
don’t reflect my employer.”
Only instead of tweets,
it’s roughing up some locals.
Some analysts say PSCs are an extension of the Chinese Communist Party.
It’s easy to see why.
Almost all of these companies share “links with the police and military.
Most of their CEOs previously worked in the state security apparatus.”
And Chinese law requires armed PSCs to be at least 51 percent state-owned.
So there really isn’t any Chinese security company that’s truly private.
So there really isn’t any Chinese security company that’s truly private, which shouldn’t
be a surprise because in China *nothing* is truly private.
That’s kinda the whole point of communism.
And the Chinese regime is using PSCs for some sketchy things overseas.
I’ll tell you what those are right after the break.
Welcome back.
China is using private security companies to protect its interests abroad.
It’s a great alternative to using official military forces or police.
The research that’s been done on Chinese PSCs is pretty limited, so it’s hard to
see the full scope of their operations.
But in addition to all the PSCs operating inside China, there are an estimated 20 to
40 of these companies overseas, with security personnel stationed in dozens of countries.
The Chinese Communist Party sees a lot of potential in PSCs.
They could play a greater role worldwide to advance Chinese interests.
It’s especially important given the increasing security threats Chinese infrastructure projects
face.
“The choice to hire Chinese [PSCs] is a top-down decision from Beijing to keep its
security business handled on its own without interference from third countries."
Back in 2016, a top Communist Party security official said, “Qualified security companies
should actively follow the ever-increasing demand for the protection of overseas interests,
and accelerate the development of overseas security services.”
And in 2017, the former Chinese ambassador to Cambodia, said Beijing needs to promote
PSCs to “provide security overseas” for new investments because China “cannot send
Marines like the United States."
So he’s basically saying we would send Marines if we could, but we can’t… but we kinda
are.
In 2019, the Chinese government put out these guidelines for PSCs...
which basically confirms how closely tied Chinese PSCs are to the state.
For one, they’re now a designated part of the Belt and Road National Security Intelligence
System.
That means they’re “expected to join Chinese embassies in reporting and engaging in intelligence
gathering.”
Great.
So now China officially has spies in dozens of countries.
And many of them are armed.
I’m not saying they’re highly trained spies, though.
A lot of them may just be average security guards, who are also expected to pass on information,
on the side.
Because that’s what the Chinese Communist Party expects of everyone.
But along with Chinese private security companies overseas comes organized crime.
One notorious example is Wan Kuok-koi.
He’s the former leader of the 14K Triad.
It’s one of the largest Chinese organized crime groups in the world.
Wan’s nickname is Broken Tooth.
He spent 14 years in prison.
But after his release 10 years ago, Wan tried to reinvent himself as a totally normal private
businessman.
He’s been expanding his operations in Southeast Asia through his own security venture called
Hongmen Security Company.
He does this under the guise of supporting the Belt and Road Initiative.
As one report says, China’s private security company industry “provides cover for people
with ties to organized crime, like Wan, to run armed companies in a host country.”
I wouldn’t want that here in the US.
And in fact, in 2020 the US put sanctions on him for his alleged criminal activity in
Cambodia and Malaysia.
As the US Treasury said, because of Wan’s connections to the Chinese Communist Party,
his activities continue “a pattern of overseas Chinese actors trying to paper over illegal
criminal activities by framing their actions in terms of China’s Belt and Road Initiative.”
The Chinese private security market is ripe for corruption and potential threats to smaller
countries.
But Chinese PSCs also face a lot of hurdles.
I’ll explain after the break.
Welcome back.
Chinese mercenaries, in the form of Private Security Companies, are becoming a threat
to smaller countries thanks to their ties to the Chinese regime.
But most of them are not highly skilled combat veterans.
A lot of Chinese PSCs lack training and qualifications.
Unlike Western PSCs, most Chinese security personnel have just a bare minimum education.
They’re not necessarily getting trained in military skills, or even the local languages.
And they’re not getting paid much, either.
It’s estimated you can hire 12 Chinese guards for the same price as one British or US guard.
So...low-wage, unskilled workers.
But low-wage unskilled workers with guns.
It’s no surprise that Chinese PSCs have a hard time retaining employees.
And that makes it hard for them to gain experience.
It’s like working at McDonalds.
But with more dangerous conditions.
And they’re also expected to spy on people.
So Chinese PSCs still have a long way to go before they can match Western ones.
But don’t worry: The Chinese Communist Party has a plan to improve the quality of Chinese
PSCs...
by getting training from Western experts.
Like Frontier Services Group.
It’s a joint venture by China’s CITIC group and Erik Prince.
Yes, that Erik Prince.
The guy who founded Blackwater —the American private military company tied to all those
scandals in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Erik Prince has less scruples than Vin Diesel has scrunchies.
But hey, Erik Prince has a lot of expertise in managing private military and security
services, and he’s willing to share it with China.
Prince’s Frontier Services Group provides training at Beijing’s International Security
Defense College.
.
And fun side note: A few years ago he also had plans to build a training center in Xinjiang,
where China is committing genocide against ethnic minorities.
A press release showed his company had been planning to spend millions in Xinjiang...
...until they had to scrap it due to the Trump Administration’s sanctions.
But those sanctions only apply to the Xinjiang region.
So it’s perfectly legal for Frontier Services Group to train Chinese mercenaries in other
parts of China.
And that’s exactly what they’re doing: American mercenaries training Chinese mercenaries.
There’s no way that’s going to come back to bite us.
So, what do you think?
Leave your comments below.
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Once again, I’m Chris Chappell.
Thanks for watching China Uncensored.