China extols Myanmar gang executions, pledging to protect citizens abroad

Beijing hailed as a success the sentencing and execution of leaders of a Myanmar crime syndicate, vowing to punish all who harm the rights of Chinese citizens overseas.

During a plenary meeting of the National People’s Congress (NPC) on Monday, Zhang Jun, president of the Supreme People’s Court, said in a report that Chinese courts closed 41,000 criminal cases related to telecoms and online fraud last year, up 1.2 per cent from 2024.

“Sixteen principal criminals of the ‘four families’ crime groups in northern Myanmar were sentenced to death with immediate execution, and those who have committed crimes overseas against Chinese citizens shall be punished in accordance with the law,” he said.

Chinese authorities have announced the capture or execution of several gang leaders in Southeast Asia in recent months.

Among those taken into custody was Chen Zhi, the Chinese-born founder of Cambodia’s Prince Holding Group. In January, he was transferred to Chinese law enforcement as a result of months of cooperation between the two countries.

02:08

Myanmar-based scam centre group members apologise on Chinese television

Early last month, China swiftly executed 16 core gang members for a range of crimes, from murder to fraud and human trafficking. While all of the victims in the cases were Chinese nationals, many of the condemned were citizens of Myanmar, a largely Buddhist country not known for executing crime bosses.

South China Morning Post