A new report claims that informal police stations run by Chinese community groups have sprouted in London.
Safeguard Defenders says that China has set up 54 "overseas police service centers" as part of its growing international network.
As Beijing faces accusations that it has been harassing political dissidents living abroad, the number of informal police stations has become the focus.
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There have been reports of Chinese citizens being blackmailed and forced to return home, but no evidence has been found that the police stations have been used for that purpose.
The centers, dubbed the "110 overseas service stations" after the country's police emergency phone number, were originally created by local authorities in China.
One of the service stations in London is an estate agency and the other is a Chinese restaurant.
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There were no links to the police service centers at either location. According to The Telegraph, the estate agency's office is used by a legal firm that deals with Chinese immigration.
Chinese nationals living abroad can get assistance with paperwork, including Chinese driver's licenses and other official documents.
Some international centers have collaborated with the Chinese police, according to reports.
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The director of Safeguard Defenders said that the stations have both a good and a bad purpose. They are there to help the Chinese tourists who get into trouble. They are not registered as agents for the police in some countries.
The British police targeted the Chinese diaspora while the offices were operating under the radar.
In 16 European countries, 36 stations have been built, while the rest can be found in the Americas, Asia and Africa.
The report said that using its service stations allows China to avoid formal extradition proceedings and sidestep the scrutiny of its human rights record.
It leaves legal Chinese residents abroad exposed to extra-legal targeting by the Chinese police with little to none of the protection theoretically ensured under both national and international law.
Beijing's efforts to target Chinese people abroad have so far been successful, as Chinese authorities have reportedly "persuaded" 230,000 people to return to China.
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