China Affirms Efforts To Fight Online Fraud On Myanmar Border

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Lin Jian in a press conference in Beijing (ANTARA/Desca Lidya Natalia)

JAKARTA - The Chinese government said it was working hard to eradicate online fraud, which is located along the border with Thailand and Myanmar.

"China is working with Thailand, Myanmar, and neighboring countries to actively carry out bilateral and multilateral cooperation, adopt a series of policies, address the root causes of the problem, prevent lawbreakers from crossing the border and end the specter of online gambling and telecommunications fraud," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian told a news conference in Beijing on Friday, February 7.

This was conveyed by Lin Jian the day after Thailand's Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra's visit to China and met with President Xi Jinping, Prime Minister Li Qiang and National People's Congress chairman Zhao Leji, one of his topics of conversation was an attempt to fight online gambling and telecommunications fraud.

"A series of online gambling cases, telecommunications fraud, and other violent cases along the Thailand-Myanmar border have recently threatened the safety of people's lives and property from related countries, including China and Thailand," said Lin Jian.

The online scam, according to Lin Jian, also interferes with inter-community exchanges and normal cooperation between regional countries.

"Acting on online gambling crimes and telecommunications fraud clearly shows how we implement a community-centric philosophy and choose to protect the common interests of regional and world countries," added Lin Jian.

Many of the alleged online fraud centers run by Chinese crime syndicates have spread in Myanmar, a country that has been hit by civil war since the military seized power in 2021.

Many migrant workers were deceived and forced to carry out online fraud schemes in tightly guarded complexes. It is suspected that around 6,500 victims from 23 countries were detained in fraud complexes, including around 4,500 Chinese nationals.

One of the fraud complexes is in the city of Myawaddy, on the banks of the river separating Thailand and Myanmar so they can take advantage of more advanced electricity and telecommunications services from Thailand.

The fraud complex has been operating for years, protected by corrupt officers and violated the law that has long filled Myanmar's border areas.

One of the latest incidents was the rescue of security forces against Chinese actor Wang Xing, also known as the Xing Xing stage, who was found safe in Myanmar after being a victim of human trafficking and was declared missing in Thailand.

Thai police revealed Wang Xing was found on January 7, 2025 near Myanmar's border, in an area known as an online fraud operations hub.

The 31-year-old actor is said to have flown to Bangkok on January 3, 2025 to take part in a shooting project in Thailand and arrived on January 4 morning.

Wang was then picked up by someone claiming to be a member of the film crew, taken to the border town of Mae Sot, about 500 km from Bangkok, and lost contact with his family and friends.

Wang's family then asked for help from the Chinese Embassy in Thailand after the actor was declared missing until the police were found on January 7 in the head condition that he was quite bald. Wang admitted that he was framed with a casting promise by Thailand's major entertainment agency, but instead he was taken across the border to Myanmar, Myawaddy.

Police suspect he was employed in an online fraud operation targeting Chinese citizens because the area is known to the location of a criminal syndicate of fraud, including dating scams, fraudulent investments and illegal gambling. Many victims are trapped in the human slavery cycle in this region.