Hong Kong Democracy Groups Express Concern About Canada’s Police Cooperation Agreement With China

Hong Kong Democracy Groups Express Concern About Canada’s Police Cooperation Agreement With China

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Feb 14, 2026 - 11:04 Updated: Feb 14, 2026 - 11:04
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Hong Kong Democracy Groups Express Concern About Canada’s Police Cooperation Agreement With China

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Ten Hong Kong democracy activist groups are voicing concern about Ottawa’s new deal with Beijing on law enforcement cooperation, saying the federal government’s lack of transparency on the agreement has intensified the fears of Hong Kong diaspora communities.

UK-based Hong Kong Watch, along with nine other Hong Kong diaspora community groups, are expressing “serious concern” about the memorandum of understanding (MOU) that Ottawa and Beijing have signed to enhance cooperation in crime-fighting efforts between the RCMP and China’s ministry of public security.
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The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said on Jan. 16 that Canada and China will pursue “pragmatic and constructive engagement” in public safety and security. The MOU is aimed at strengthening cooperation to “better combat narcotics trafficking, transnational and cybercrime, synthetic drugs and money laundering — and create safer communities for people” in both Canada and China, the PMO said.

The 10 Hong Kong democracy groups say the announcement of formal cooperation with China’s ministry of public safety has “caused deep fear and anxiety within Hong Kong diaspora communities in Canada and worldwide.”

“These concerns are rooted in lived experience,” the groups said in a Feb. 12 joint statement. “Hong Kongers living overseas have faced surveillance, harassment, intimidation, and pressure directed at themselves and their families by Chinese authorities.”

The groups said increased engagement with China’s internal security apparatus is “profoundly alarming” for communities who have fled repression.

The MOU on police cooperation was one of several agreements Ottawa and Beijing signed during Prime Minister Mark Carney’s visit to China in January. Although Ottawa has made other MOUs public, the agreement on public safety cooperation has been kept confidential so far.

The diaspora community groups said in their statement that because the government has not explained what safeguards, limitations, or oversight mechanisms are in place regarding the agreement, the lack of transparency “has intensified fears” that cooperation between Ottawa and Beijing’s law enforcement agencies on crime “could, intentionally or unintentionally, expose individuals or community networks to harm.”

“For many Hong Kongers living overseas, even the perception of closer engagement between democratic law enforcement agencies and Chinese security authorities creates a chilling effect on free expression, civic participation, journalism, and advocacy,” the statement reads.

The groups noted that these fears could lead diaspora communities to withdraw from public life, undermining the public’s trust and safety. They also said trust between law enforcement and diaspora communities is “essential,” because without it, communities may be hesitant to engage with authorities or report crimes.

“I no longer feel safe reaching out to the RCMP. I fear that my identity could be exposed or that information I share could somehow reach the Chinese authorities,” one Hong Kong diaspora member said, according to the groups’ statement.

Hong Kong Watch and the other nine organizations are urging Ottawa to provide “full transparency” on the MOU, including the scope, safeguards, and limitations of the agreement.

The groups are also calling on lawmakers and media organizations “to recognize the fear experienced by Hong Kong diaspora communities worldwide and to treat transnational repression as a serious and growing global concern requiring vigilance, accountability, and clear protections.”

‘Duty to Canadians’

The Conservatives have requested that Ottawa provide the party with a copy of the agreement on police cooperation, saying such agreements should be subject to parliamentary scrutiny if they are being kept confidential.
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“Allowing Parliamentarians to review the provisions outlined in the MOU is this government’s and your personal duty to Canadians just as it is central to my responsibility as the Shadow Minister for Public Safety,” Conservative MP and public safety critic Frank Caputo said in a Feb. 9 letter to Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree.
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The Tories have also voiced concern about the MOU itself, saying China poses a security threat to Canada. Carney also expressed concern about China during the 2025 election campaign, calling it the top national security threat.

Conservative MP and democratic reform critic Michael Cooper asked Anandasangaree during a Feb. 6 House of Commons procedure and House affairs committee meeting why Ottawa has agreed to pursue the police cooperation agreement with Beijing. He said his inquiry was prompted by concerns that China has engaged in transnational repression targeting Chinese diaspora communities in Canada, among other concerns.

Anandasangaree told MPs Ottawa has agreed to cooperate with Beijing out of a need to diversify its trade relationships away from the United States. He noted that Canada and China’s law enforcement agencies would cooperate on issues such as curtailing fentanyl and its precursors coming into Canada.

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