US presses China over alleged scam bosses despite growing police cooperation

The US is pressuring China over alleged scam bosses, despite growing police cooperation between the two nations, according to a senior State Department official. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Michael DeSombre, told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that Washington is raising concerns about transnational criminal organizations involved in Southeast Asia's online scam industry at the highest levels with Beijing.

The US has urged China to demonstrate that it is not helping alleged Chinese crime bosses evade international accountability. The US and China have been expanding cooperation on cyberfraud and other transnational crimes, including through exchanges of law-enforcement personnel and joint operations. However, there is a delicate balance for Washington as they seek Beijing's help dismantling criminal networks while questioning whether China is doing enough to hold their leaders accountable for crimes committed against Americans.

Brief written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post's own syndicated text. Machine-written — read the original for the full account.