Chinese police operating in other countries is nothing new

Tourists take a selfie with Chinese police officers in Dubrovnik, Croatia, on Aug. 9, 2019. (Xinhua/Gao Lei)

Joint patrols with Chinese police outside China, to help handle the safety of Chinese tourists and interests, may be a new concept to Thai public, but China has had cooperation with Croatia, Italy and Serbia.

China’s Xinhua state news agency reported in July that China-Croatia joint police patrols would be conducted in Zagreb, Zadar, the Plitvice Lakes National Park as well as Dubrovnik, all of which are main tourist destinations in Croatia.

They conducted patrols in the four locations for a month to serve tourists, especially Chinese, in the country. The cooperation was the fourth of its kind since 2018.

Qi Qianjin, Chinese ambassador to Croatia was quoted as saying that the joint project has effectively improved the experience of Chinese tourists in Croatia and made…