Chinese Vice Minister Says Anti-Scam Campaign Has Made Major Gains, But Fight Is Not Over

China remains one of the world's biggest targets for telecom and online fraud, with hundreds of thousands of victims and losses reaching tens of billions of yuan each year, a senior Chinese security official said at an international anti-scam conference in Phnom Penh.

Speaking at the International Conference on Combating Online Scams (ICCOS) on Tuesday, Vice Minister of Public Security Yang Weilin said Beijing has maintained a long-term commitment to tackling online fraud with a zero-tolerance approach.

Intensified Crackdown at Home and Abroad

Yang said China has pursued a two-track strategy, stepping up domestic enforcement through sustained crackdowns and preventive measures aimed at removing the conditions that allow fraud to thrive, while also meeting its international responsibilities.

Through bilateral and multilateral cooperation, Chinese authorities have worked with partners to raid and dismantle compounds and networks used for scams, he said. As a result, gambling and fraud-related crime in Southeast Asia has improved significantly, he added.

High-Profile Cases Linked to Cambodia Cooperation

Yang pointed to several prominent arrests made with Cambodian cooperation, describing the suspects as key financiers and organizers behind gambling and fraud operations:

• Chen Zhi, founder of Prince Group, who was arrested and extradited to China in January over alleged involvement in so-called pig-butchering fraud schemes and other illicit businesses. U.S. authorities seized an estimated $14 to $15 billion in bitcoin connected to the case.
• Li Xiong, former chairman of Huione Group, a Cambodian financial conglomerate active in payments, currency exchange, insurance and banking. The group has been reported to have ties to Prince Group. Li was arrested and extradited in April.
• Liu Ren, who allegedly operated the Jinbei Group, an enterprise that began with online gambling and later shifted to online fraud. He was arrested and deported to China in June.

Expanded Regional and Global Cooperation

Yang said China has worked closely with neighboring countries, noting that joint operations with Myanmar led to the dismantling of the so-called Four Major Families criminal networks in northern Myanmar.

He also cited cooperation between Chinese and Thai police in securing the lawful extradition of suspects such as She Zhijiang, which he said has created a strong deterrent effect.

Beyond the region, Yang said China has maintained extensive law enforcement collaboration with countries and territories across Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas, including the United Arab Emirates, Vietnam, Laos, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Madagascar, Kyrgyzstan, the United States and Spain.

Challenges Remain, Politicization Warned Against

Despite what he described as remarkable progress, Yang acknowledged that fraud has not been fully eliminated. He said individuals involved in fraud continue to move across borders, while illicit support industries that enable such crimes persist despite enforcement efforts, leaving the overall situation complicated.

He called for stronger international cooperation and warned against turning the issue into a political matter.

"We must never politicise the fight against transnational crime, still less engage in stigmatisation or confrontation," he said.

Praise for Cambodia's Anti-Fraud Efforts

Yang also commended Cambodia's recent steps to address the problem, including improving laws, enforcing them strictly, tackling corruption and deepening international cooperation.

He said Cambodia has carried out sustained special operations against fraud, taken strong action against criminal groups, cleared large gambling and fraud compounds inside the country, and arrested and repatriated tens of thousands of people linked to fraud. The results, he said, are clear and have been recognized by the international community.