China urges global action after 100 Chinese held in Pakistan call centre case

China has sought international cooperation after Pakistan detained more than 100 Chinese nationals over alleged illegal call centres. The case underscores Beijing's wider cross-border crackdown on telecom and online fraud.Stock photo used for illustrationChina on Monday called for international cooperation to combat telecom fraud amid reports from Pakistan that more than 100 Chinese nationals were detained last week for allegedly running illegal call centres there.Responding to the reports, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said Beijing had consistently taken a tough line against telecom fraud and related crimes, while also asking Chinese nationals overseas to follow local laws and avoid unlawful acts."The Chinese government has all along fought telecom fraud and related crimes severely, and asked Chinese nationals overseas to strictly abide by local laws and regulations, and refrain from engaging in any unlawful and criminal activities," Lin said. He was responding to media reports from Pakistan that over 100 Chinese nationals were held for running "illegal call centres".Lin said China had been actively pursuing international cooperation against telecom fraud. "China has taken active efforts to carry out international cooperation against telecom fraud, and is on track to launch an international alliance against telecom and online fraud," he said in a response posted on the Foreign Ministry website. "We hope parties will work with China to jointly combat criminal activities," Lin said. China has been carrying out an intense crackdown at home and abroad against Chinese gangs operating illegal call centres in countries including Myanmar, Cambodia and Sri Lanka.Earlier this year, China's security officials said they had "completely dismantled" notorious Chinese criminal gangs based in Myanmar and Cambodia that ran online extortion rackets and cheated people out of their savings. Thousands of people in India, China and several other countries were defrauded by these gangs operating on the Thai-Myanmar border and in Cambodia. According to China's Supreme People's Court, by the end of 2025, courts across the country had sentenced more than 41,000 people repatriated from northern Myanmar for involvement in telecom fraud, with 16 executed after receiving death sentences and 39 given life imprisonment. Earlier, China's Public Security Ministry said 258,000 telecom fraud cases were solved last year. The latest comments from Beijing came as Pakistan reported the detention of more than 100 Chinese nationals in a case linked to illegal call centres.With PTI Inputs- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Aug 17, 2026 19:50 IST