Overseas Chinese in The Hague's Chinatown Expose CCP's Transnational Repression, Defend Democracy and Universal Values

 

THE HAGUE, September 15, 2025 (Voice of Anti-Communism Netherlands Special Correspondent) — On a crisp autumn afternoon in The Hague's Chinatown, over 700 flyers, in both Chinese and English, were handed out to passersby. Volunteers, wearing signs that read "Nederlandse waarden verdedigen, buitenlandse invloeden weerstaan" (Defend Dutch values, resist foreign influence) and "Defend Dutch Values, Defend Chinese Rights," called on people to pay attention to the infiltration and repression carried out by Chinese Communist Party (CCP) proxies in the Netherlands. 

From 1 PM to 4 PM on September 14, 2025, this street action, initiated by five Dutch-Chinese dissidents, not only exposed the role of Cai Yong—a former People's Liberation Army naval soldier and NL Plan party member—in transnational repression but also lit a torch for freedom of speech and resistance to foreign interference under the shadow of the CCP's overseas infiltration. Although the event was met with insults and provocative gestures from "little pinks," the volunteers stood their ground. They ended the demonstration by holding up an orange banner in front of the Chinatown archway that read, "全民反抗运动 RIGHTS FOR CHINESE CITIZENS 时间到了，滚球！Enough is Enough-Throw him Out!," calling on the Dutch-Chinese community to rise up and resist.

The catalyst for this protest was an explosive investigation by the Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad on April 29, 2025, which revealed that the Chinese government was implementing "long-arm jurisdiction" in the Netherlands through proxies like community leader Cai Yong. The day after the report was published, the NRC's website was hit by a large-scale DDoS attack that lasted for several hours, suspected to be an act of retaliation. This is not an isolated incident but rather the tip of the iceberg of the Chinese government's transnational repression abroad. The "ChinaTargets" project by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) shows that the Chinese authorities' repression against overseas dissidents through surveillance, intimidation, and community infiltration has affected over 100 victims in 23 countries, including Uyghurs, Tibetans, Hong Kongers, and mainland Chinese dissidents. According to the Human Rights Watch World Report 2025, the Chinese government only allows five officially recognized religions to operate in designated locations and uses an overseas proxy network to suppress dissent and threaten European freedom of speech. The Guardian has reported that China ranks first globally in transnational repression, accounting for a quarter of such incidents worldwide, with methods including hiring overseas Chinese to participate in anti-dissident protests. This information aligns closely with the Cai Yong incident, highlighting the CCP's global strategy of using overseas Chinese associations as a "hidden network."

Flyers Expose: Cai Yong’s Transformation from "Community Leader" to CCP Thug

The flyers directly pointed to Cai Yong's multiple identities: a 56-year-old former Chinese People's Liberation Army naval soldier (serving in the submarine force from 1985-1990), now the owner of "Snackbar De Terp" in Capelle aan den IJssel, and a current member and former advisor of the NL Plan party. During a Chinese New Year event at the Rotterdam South Square Theater on January 28, 2025, Cai Yong, wearing a red scarf, filmed the demonstrators on site, while other community leaders intimidated protesters including Chen Zhi, Song Guohui, and five others, threatening, "You will never be able to return to China." This act of assisting the CCP in suppressing dissent has triggered a crisis of trust in the Chinese community within Dutch society. The NRC investigation confirmed that Cai Yong gave a vague response, saying he "went over to have a look while smoking outside," but he declined further interviews.

A deeper issue is the financial link between the NL Plan and the CCP. In 2023, the party received over €41,000 in "donations" from a Dutch-Chinese organization with ties to Beijing, which was identified by Follow the Money as a proxy channel for Beijing's influence. Cai Yong holds multiple positions, including Vice President of the Council for the Promotion of the Peaceful Reunification of China in the Netherlands, Deputy Minister of the Political Participation Department of the Federation of Chinese Organizations in the Netherlands, and former President of the Dutch-Chinese Fry Shop Association (VCCO). These organizations are controlled by the CCP's United Front Work Department to promote a "united front" and monitor overseas dissidents. During Typhoon Lekima in Wenzhou in 2019 and the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Cai Yong raised funds to send back to China. While appearing charitable, these acts reinforced his ties to the United Front. A 2020 U.S. State Department statement identified such organizations as overseas extensions of the CCP.

The flyers warned that these actions harm the image of Chinese people and threaten the freedom of speech and safety of the Dutch-Chinese community, urging people to vote against the NL Plan in the October 2025 general election to protect Dutch democracy.

Voices of the Volunteers: Speaking Out to Tear Back the Curtain of CCP Infiltration

The five volunteers—Henan human rights activist Yue San, Chinese Democracy Party Overseas Committee member Chen Zhi, Wei Zhijian, Anhui dissident Yu Yang, and other volunteers—braved the pressure and handed out flyers street by street. During the event, many Dutch passersby stopped to talk and learn about the CCP's proxies, showing local society's vigilance against foreign infiltration.

Yue San condemned the CCP's history, stating, "The Chinese Communist Party was an offshoot of the Comintern in the Far East... it has developed into the largest extremist terrorist organization to date, with the most brutal methods of repression and the most deaths." He warned that Cai Yong, as an agent who is "in the Netherlands but with his heart in the CCP," collects information on dissidents and intimidates protesters. If left unchecked, this will affect Dutch policy towards China and national security, similar to the case of Philippine Mayor Guo Huaping. Yue San emphasized that Western appeasement has encouraged the CCP to exploit democratic loopholes for infiltration, and that financial buy-outs and military coercion could subvert European and American political systems.

Chen Zhi focused on the harm caused by the United Front associations: "Cai Yong uses the pretense of 'serving overseas Chinese' but is secretly colluding with CCP forces to suppress and threaten dissidents who dare to criticize the Chinese government." He revealed that Cai Yong uses social media to create pressure and isolate Chinese people who support democracy, replicating the totalitarian model in the Netherlands. He called on the community to expose the reality of "community leaders" who are actually "thugs." Chen Zhi pointed out that such actions violate the right to freedom of speech and endanger public safety, and the Dutch government must protect overseas Chinese from political manipulation.

Wei Zhijian reflected on the Chinese community: "These kinds of people often claim to represent Chinese people but are actually an extension of the Chinese Communist Party's dictatorial and evil regime's transnational repression... They may use pressure, threats, and even social networks and community infiltration to suppress the voices of overseas Chinese." He called on Chinese people to pursue freedom and equality and not to let their image be hijacked by a few individuals. Actions like today's flyer distribution are not only against Cai Yong but also a fight for independent space to speak out.

Yu Yang and other volunteers personally experienced insults from "little pinks"—being given the middle finger and yelled at with "f*** you"—but they persevered until the end. Yu Yang stated, "We are not afraid of harassment; we are standing up for universal values."

Global Mirror: The European Wake-Up Call Against the CCP's Transnational Repression

This action in The Hague is even more urgent when placed in the global context of China's overseas repression. The Amnesty International 2024 report states that Chinese students abroad face harassment and surveillance, and their families are retaliated against. A 2025 report by ARTICLE 19 documented that the CCP intensified its repression of overseas protesters during state visits. Harvard University research shows that dissidents in the U.S. are harassed by Chinese proxies, even carried out by Chinese Americans, which threatens national sovereignty. Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) testimony indicated that the CCP pays overseas Chinese to participate in anti-dissident demonstrations. These cases, which are identical to Cai Yong filming protesters and the NL Plan's funding, expose the CCP's use of a "hidden proxy model" through overseas Chinese associations to divide communities and interfere in elections.

Deeper Meaning: Resisting Infiltration, Forging Chinese Dignity and a Dutch Fortress

The profound significance of this action in The Hague is that it is not just about deterring Cai Yong; it is a multi-dimensional defense of values. First, it protects the rights of Dutch-Chinese people: the distribution of flyers tears off the disguise of so-called community leaders, protects dissidents from intimidation, and ensures that freedom of speech and assembly are not eroded by transnational repression. Chen Zhi's statement that "any form of intimidation and suppression cannot be tolerated" precisely embodies this point.

Second, it defends Dutch values: the 2024 report by the Dutch intelligence agency AIVD warned about the interference of CCP-affiliated Chinese associations. The protest calls for the regulation of foreign funds and resistance to election infiltration. Yue San's warning—that it "could affect the Dutch government's policy towards China and national security interests in the future"—sounds the alarm and promotes awareness within local society.

More broadly, it resists the CCP's transnational repression and infiltration in the Netherlands: the volunteers withstood threats to their families in China and street harassment, mirroring the stories of victims around the world. This deters CCP proxies and community leaders from carrying out orders. Wei Zhijian's emphasis that "we are not vassals of a certain regime" forges the independence of the Chinese community and prevents the community from being divided and stigmatized.

Ultimately, it defends universal values: freedom, democracy, and human rights. Under the CCP's "long-arm jurisdiction," this action is a beacon, inspiring Europe to reform its protest policies, strengthen cyber defense, and support vulnerable groups. The perseverance of the volunteers not only protects the open society of the Netherlands but also injects strength into the global fight against repression.

In the group photo with the banner, the volunteers chanted "Enough is Enough," a sign of a coming wave of popular resistance. The rights of Dutch-Chinese people are awakening, starting from the streets.

Responsible Editor: Jiang Peikun