Recently, officials from ASEAN countries have expressed a strong desire to deepen cooperation with China in jointly combating transnational cybercrime, including online scams. Effectively curbing crime through cooperation presents a new opportunity for comprehensive cooperation between China and ASEAN.
When Southeast Asian foreign ministers gathered Sunday for their first meeting this year under the regional bloc’s new chair, they called for closer cooperation with China to combat online scams. This has echoed Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s recent statement, in which he expressed China’s readiness to work with ASEAN countries to crack down on cross-border online gambling and telecom fraud during a meeting with diplomatic envoys from 10 ASEAN countries in Beijing on Thursday.
The recent cases of Chinese individuals being lured to telecom fraud centers in Myanmar has drawn significant public attention. In recent years, the widespread use of the internet and the development of globalization has led to an increase in transnational cybercrimes such as online scams and gambling, threatening the safety of people’s lives and property, severely disrupting the environment for peaceful exchanges between nations, and harming the tangible interests of both China and ASEAN countries. In light of this grave situation, it is imperative for China and ASEAN countries to strengthen cooperation and jointly combat transnational cybercrime.
Although China’s public security authorities have achieved significant results in recent years by intensifying efforts to crack down on transnational telecom and cyber fraud, as well as related crimes at home, data shows that eight out of 10 such crimes are committed outside China. This undoubtedly increases the difficulties in combating them. On the other hand, factors such as ineffective law enforcement and loopholes in legal systems have led cybercrime gangs to establish their operations in some ASEAN countries, causing damage to local law and order. Frequent cybercrime activities have also affected the investment appeal and image of these countries.
Many ASEAN nations have become victims of cybercrime as well. Between October 1, 2023, and September 30, 2024, Thailand reported 330,000 cases of cyber fraud, resulting in losses of more than 37 billion baht ($1.08 billion).
Therefore, addressing transnational telecom fraud requires collective action from China and ASEAN countries. First, the two sides should focus on more practical cooperation on intelligence sharing and law enforcement effectiveness in the future. Second, law enforcement authorities on both sides need to hold regular meetings to study response strategies and conduct joint law enforcement operations to form a synergy. Third, the two sides should strengthen the training of law enforcement personnel and improve their ability to combat transnational telecom frauds. Fourth, they have to enhance legislation to provide strong legal protection against such types of crimes.
China and ASEAN countries have reached a high degree of consensus on jointly combating cybercrime. This consensus arises from the common threat that cybercrime poses to the social development and security of regional countries, transcending geopolitical differences. For instance, the Philippines, which has experienced friction with China over the South China Sea issue, has strengthened law enforcement cooperation with China to repatriate four batches of Chinese citizens engaged in offshore gambling in the Philippines, following Manila’s announcement of a ban on all offshore gambling last July. This mode of cooperation, which focuses on specific issues, exemplifies a pragmatic spirit and has become a new highlight in the currently tense relationship between China and the Philippines.
In the future, China will enhance law enforcement cooperation with ASEAN countries, resolutely combat cross-border illegal activities such as telecom fraud, online gambling, and human trafficking, jointly address social ills like online gambling and scams, safeguard the safety of people’s lives and property, and build a closer regional community with a shared future for security.
GT