Beijing’s Emerging Corps of Foreign Service Nationals and Proxies

(Matt Brazil – Jamestown Foundation) The People’s Republic of China (PRC) is increasingly employing locally hired foreign nationals as staff in its foreign mission abroad. This departs from its previous model where diplomatic missions were staffed exclusively by Chinese citizens. Recent incidents in PRC consulates in New York and Los Angeles show the PRC is hiring local security contractors to act as violent enforcers, silencing opposition against the PRC and advance its political objectives in the host country. The PRC employs members of the Chinese diaspora as local foreign service nationals to improve its diplomatic mission’s understanding of local linguistic, cultural, and political environments. – Beijing’s Emerging Corps of Foreign Service Nationals and Proxies – Jamestown