China misused Interpol's red notice, used Jack Ma to pressure exile abroad

In a striking example of transnational repression, the Chinese government allegedly used billionaire Jack Ma to pressure a prominent exiled businessman into returning to China, part of a broader pattern of Beijing misusing Interpol mechanisms to silence political targets abroad.

According to an investigation by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), the businessman, identified only as "H", was living in France and awaiting an extradition hearing in 2021 when he received a call from Ma. The Alibaba founder told H, he was asked by Chinese officials to persuade him to return and cooperate in a political case.

"They said I'm the only one who can persuade you to return," Ma reportedly told H, who was shocked by the call. Chinese authorities had earlier issued an Interpol red notice accusing H of financial crimes. But court documents reveal the real goal was to force him to testify against Sun Lijun, a former vice minister of public security who had fallen out of favour with Beijing.

"I think you don't have any other choice," Ma warned. "If you don't come back, they'll destroy you."

H, a naturalised Singaporean citizen, had been arrested in France based on the red notice, a mechanism increasingly used by authoritarian regimes like China to pursue dissidents and political targets overseas. The charges cited in the notice were unrelated to the Sun Lijun case, raising concerns about political manipulation of international law enforcement tools.

This case is part of ICIJ's "China Targets" investigation, which found that China has repeatedly used Interpol to track and coerce critics, exiles, and businesspeople abroad. Experts say these tactics undermine the credibility of global police cooperation.

Despite growing concerns, Interpol has taken little public action to discipline China for its misuse of red notices, the ICIJ reported. The case of H is a stark reminder of how international institutions can be exploited to carry out authoritarian agendas far beyond national borders.