Chinese ambassador applauds Croatian stance on telecom fraud case

ZAGREB, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- Croatia has been handling the case of telecom frauds committed by Chinese nationals from Taiwan in a very sensitive manner, Chinese ambassador to Croatia Hu Zhaoming said on Monday, adding that this case involves the one-China policy to which Zagreb has adhered since the establishment of diplomatic ties.

On Jan. 18, Croatian police conducted a raid in the capital of Zagreb and arrested 61 people, all from China's Taiwan Island, on the suspicion on telecom fraud.

The arrest of the suspects was the latest in a series of similar crackdowns by police on Taiwanese criminal rings in other European countries, including neighboring Slovenia.

"In view of the Chinese embassy, we believe that this case involves the one-China policy, which is the bedrock of our relationship.

"I noticed that the Croatian police has been very sensitive on the issue and so far has been sticking to the one-China policy. We appreciate that very much," ambassador Hu said at the press briefing.

Hu also said that this case involves the law enforcement cooperation between the two countries and emphasized that the Chinese Ministry of Public Security and Croatia's Interior Ministry signed in 2014 a MoU and agreed on combating crime.

"Sixty-one Taiwanese, they are all members of a criminal gang. There are 12 cases of telecom scams related to this group, resulting in the loss of one million euros (1.2 million U.S. dollars)," the ambassador said.

He expressed hope that in line with the one-China policy, the suspects would be handed to the Chinese mainland to face trial.

Speaking to the press, Hu said that "this time, according to the MoU, the Chinese side dispatched two police officers to Croatia".

The ambassador explained that it is a typical case of telecom scams, a new type of crime, still largely unknown to the Croatian police. It originated in Taiwan, he said, and at the beginning it was targeting the Taiwanese, only to gradually start affecting people on the Chinese mainland and worldwide.

He called upon Croatia to take a firm action against telecom frauds in order not to fall victim to this type of crime. Enditem