CHINA-SWITZERLAND: CONTROVERSY OVER AN AGREEMENT BETWEEN SWITZERLAND AND CHINA ON IDENTIFICATION AND REPATRIATION OF ILLEGAL CHINESE RESIDENTS
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Controversy has risen in Switzerland after revelations by the NZZ am Sonntag newspaper (September 12) of a little known bilateral agreement concluded in December 2015 between the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) and it is equivalent in the Chinese Ministry of Public Security. The agreement allows two-week visas to be granted to two Chinese agents to help SEM confirm the nationality and identity of Chinese nationals suspected of residing illegally in Switzerland, with a view to sending them back. The visit of these Chinese agents occurs by invitation and at the expense of the Swiss government. Elected officials and NGOs have raised concerns about this accord between Bern and Beijing.
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