A report published this week by Safeguard Defenders, a human rights organisation, claimed that Beijing has established more than 100 offices in 53 countries as part of a global underground network designed to target Chinese dissidents living abroad.But while countries such as the UK, Germany, Spain, the US, Canada and New Zealand have announced national investigations into the claims, Italy’s interior minister instead attempted to brush off the concerns, saying police and intelligence services were “monitoring” the issue.You see a big discrepancy between Italy and the likes of Canada, New Zealand and the UK.” She was particularly critical of Mr Piantedosi’s comments about the Prato “police station” having recently shut down and therefore no longer being an issue.“Chinese public security stations ... strictly abide by international law and fully respect the judicial sovereignty of other countries,” the Chinese foreign affairs spokesman, Wang Wenbin, said recently.The police patrol deal appears to have provided the impetus for Beijing to trial setting up the network of clandestine “police stations” in Italy."