The Chinese government is willing to cooperate with their Thai counterparts in the crackdown on transnational criminal activities in Thailand, according to the Chinese Embassy in Bangkok in its Facebook post.

The embassy said that it has acknowledged several criminal cases subject to Thai police investigations, adding that the Chinese government places importance on law enforcement and the suppression illegal gambling, illegal narcotics and indecent acts.

The embassy said that China has promoted cooperation in the enforcement of international laws regarding such crimes, adding that China and Thailand have long enjoyed a high level of cooperation in law enforcement.

In recent years, several Chinese nationals have been arrested by Thai police for operating call centre scams in Thailand and in neighbouring countries, such as Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos, targeting Thai and Chinese victims in Thailand. Some of them have lured Thai job seekers to work in neighbouring countries, promising them high salaries, but most job seekers soon realised that they were being forced to work long hours in call centres. They were often not paid and had to pay ransoms for their safe return home.

Chinese businessmen were also found to be involved in illegal nightlife businesses in various areas in Bangkok.

One Chinese businessman, Chaiyanant Kornchayanant, who has been granted Thai citizenship, was recently reported to have made a three million baht donation to the Palang Pracharath Party. He was linked to a pub in Bangkok’s Yan Nawa district, raided by police last month. About 50 of the 300 customers, mostly Chinese, tested positive for drug use.

The pub was said to cater to foreign tourists only, mostly Chinese.