Chinese Dissident Reports Hostile Treatment by UK Police Interpreter
Hong Qi, a Chinese dissident who organized an anti-Communist government protest after fleeing to the UK, has alleged that a "pro-regime" interpreter used by a British police force berated him when he sought assistance.
Qi, who remotely projected anti-regime slogans onto a building in his hometown of Chongqing using a mobile phone while in the UK, contacted police after discovering his bank accounts had been frozen.
On 20 December, the Chinese national dialed 101, the UK non-emergency number, requesting to speak with the nearest police force via an interpreter. He was concerned that without access to funds, he and his family would be forced to sleep rough.
Instead of receiving support from Devon and Cornwall police, Qi, aged 43, claims the interpreter assigned to the call launched a political tirade, questioning why he did not "love China" and mocking his financial difficulties.
Qi and his family had been residing in Exeter. During a call that began at 2:54 pm and lasted 20 minutes, he explained that Chinese authorities had frozen his bank accounts, leaving him unable to pay for accommodation for his wife and two teenage daughters.
According to Qi, the interpreter, who spoke with a mainland Chinese accent, interrupted the conversation to challenge him.
"China is so good, why did you come out?" the interpreter allegedly asked. "You came out to claim political asylum? You brought your children out here to suffer."
When Qi attempted to express the urgency of his situation, he claims the interpreter refused to convey his message to the police officer on the call.
"I will not translate your emotions," the interpreter said, according to Qi. "On what grounds should the British help you? If you have money, it is convenient everywhere."
Police Response and Contractor Involvement
On 21 January, 22 days after lodging a complaint, Devon and Cornwall police informed Qi, who has recently been granted asylum in the UK, that responsibility for the interpreter lay with a contractor paid £130,000 annually to provide translation services.
The contractor did not respond to requests for comment. Despite Qi's repeated requests, the police force has not provided a copy of the recording of the call. The Information Commissioner’s Office has noted the force’s breach and issued a reprimand.
Concerns Over Chinese Influence in UK Interpreting Services
Qi’s allegation raises concerns about the infiltration of the Chinese interpreting community by the United Front Work Department, an organ of the Chinese Communist Party believed to suppress political dissent and influence opinion abroad.
A Home Office-sponsored report declassified in February highlighted the shortage of Chinese language skills within UK police forces as a risk, particularly given attempts by the Chinese Communist Party and organized crime to infiltrate the interpreting community.
The report’s author, David Wilson, regional coordinator for the organised immigration crime domestic taskforce at West Midlands police and former detective inspector, stated there was "a lot of compromise" among Mandarin interpreters in the UK.
"The United Workers Department will co-opt everybody. We have had it that people will absolutely not talk in front of interpreters. So we have had compromise. This is not unusual. The compromise will come both from the Chinese state and organised crime groups."
Wilson suggested increasing the number of Mandarin speakers within British policing as a solution. His report noted that officers sometimes had to rely on Google Translate to perform their duties.
Impact on National Security and Recent Spy Trial
During the recent trial of two men convicted of spying for China, including a UK Border Force officer, the court heard that eight suspects arrested in May 2024 as part of the alleged spy ring had to be released because a shortage of interpreters prevented translation of their devices before the 14-day statutory detention limit. The suspects subsequently left the UK.
Qi’s Personal Experience and Protest Background
Qi said the interaction with the police interpreter left him at his lowest point.
"To me, she was clearly pro-regime," he said. "The police need to deal with this."
Qi’s protest in August last year in Chongqing, a city of 30 million people, occurred on the eve of a major military parade. It involved projecting slogans such as "Only without the Communist party can there be a new China" onto a building.
The police soon located the source of the projection in a hotel room. Qi later released video footage showing five police officers entering the room, rushing to the window, and finding the projector hidden behind a half-closed curtain.
Qi, who had been operating the projector and a surveillance camera remotely from London where he had arrived four days earlier, left a handwritten letter on the coffee table addressed to the officers.
"Even if you are a beneficiary of the system today, one day you will inevitably become a victim on this land," it read.
One of Qi’s posts was viewed by 18 million people within four days.
Expert Commentary and Police Statement
Sam Dunning, director of the research body UK-China Transparency, commented:
"After WW2, Britain trained thousands in Russian language skills. Faced by what successive governments all agree are major challenges and threats from China, nothing remotely on this scale is being done today."
A Devon and Cornwall police spokesperson said:
"The Devon and Cornwall police professional standards department carefully reviewed the complaint, but as the interpreter was employed by a third party and not the force, no further action was taken."
