[mylidlpony]

> because there's nothing they can do about it

Are you talking about the China that bought huge areas in ports around the world? The same one that has secret police stations as well?

[Cthulhu_]

TECHNICALLY they only supply loans and construction assistance to countries that don't have the infrastructure themselves yet, but, yeah.

Not like the US is much better though; US based investors and shell companies own property all across the world, and US intelligence agencies infiltrated / owned European based secure communications companies / products (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crypto_AG).

Also, the US has public / non-secret army bases in 100+ countries, and secret police stations in loads of places elsewhere (50 prisons in 28 countries: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CIA_black_sites)

[nicce]

So, basically... nothing? You should go into China to get a real threat. On the other hand, there is global cooperation with intelligence agencies of USA and many European countries.

[pell]

China spies on Uyghurs in other countries, puts pressure on them and has been known to run secret police stations as well.

China spying on Uyghurs in Sweden: https://www.rferl.org/a/Sweden_Jails_Uyghur_Chinese_Man_For_...

China controls dissidents abroad through relatives back home: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-uighurs-idUSKBN0UD1...

China's secret police stations in Europe: https://www.spiegel.de/international/world/beijing-s-long-ar...

>On the other hand, there is global cooperation with intelligence agencies of USA and many European countries.

Two wrongs don't make a right.

[nicce]

They key point was not in acquiring information.. instead in authority to do something real with that information without real concequences.