Chinese authorities have warned Cambodia that recent disappearances of Chinese citizens caused by scammer gangs have impacted the relationship between the two countries.
The Chinese Embassy in Cambodia stated on Saturday (17 Jan) that the frequent disappearances of Chinese nationals in buildings used for cyber fraud businesses recently represent a “significant obstacle” to the relationship between the two allied countries.
A statement on the embassy's WeChat account said Ambassador Wang Wenbin urged the Phnom Penh government to step up its crackdown on this illegal industry during a joint meeting with senior Cambodian ministers.
"China is deeply concerned about the recent cases where a number of Chinese citizens have gone missing or disappeared in Cambodia," the statement said, adding that most of the harm to Chinese nationals involved online scams, which "are inconsistent with the longstanding friendship between China and Cambodia."
The Cambodian government said it is conducting a crackdown on this illegal industry, which employs at least 100,000 people in Cambodia, according to United Nations data.
Initially, these transnational criminal groups mainly targeted Chinese-speaking communities, but they later expanded operations to multiple languages to steal vast sums—tens of billions of dollars annually—from victims worldwide.
Some scammers act voluntarily, but in other cases, foreigners fall victim to human trafficking, being deceived, trapped, and forced to work under threats of violence.
In recent months, China has intensified its pursuit of key figures in the scam industry across Southeast Asia to bring them to justice at home. Cambodia recently arrested Chen Zhi, a Chinese billionaire suspected of leading a scammer center in the country, and extradited him to China two weeks ago.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) estimates that online fraud caused damages amounting to $37 billion in East and Southeast Asia in 2024.
Meanwhile, Amnesty International has accused the Cambodian government of “deliberate neglect” regarding human rights abuses committed by these cybercrime gangs.
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Source:cna