Recently, through close coordination between China and Sri Lanka, Sri Lankan police repatriated 125 suspects involved in telecom and online fraud to China after they were arrested in earlier crackdown operations. On March 29, with strong support from the Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka, China’s Ministry of Public Security organized police authorities from Hubei Province to receive the suspects in an orderly manner.
The operation marks another important achievement in the deepening law enforcement cooperation between China and Sri Lanka. It also demonstrates the firm determination of the police forces of both countries to safeguard cross-border security and protect the property and interests of their people.
As several Southeast Asian countries continue to intensify crackdowns on telecom and online fraud, some criminal operators have begun searching for new bases and hideouts. Against this backdrop, the latest repatriation carries particular practical significance.
The recent rise in telecom and online fraud activities in Sri Lanka directly reflects the spillover of regional criminal networks.
A report released by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in April 2025 noted that organized crime groups in East and Southeast Asia are expanding into “more remote, vulnerable and underprepared” areas, as well as beyond the region. Scam compounds, underground banking networks, illicit online marketplaces, and related criminal activities are spreading in an increasingly interconnected manner.
Telecom and online fraud are often intertwined with underground payment systems, illicit logistics operations, online gambling, and other grey or illegal industries, creating mutually reinforcing chains of profit. UNODC research has pointed out that scam centers are closely linked with underground banking systems and illicit online marketplaces, making them important nodes in transnational organized crime networks.
Sri Lanka is an important maritime hub in South Asia and a key partner in high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. If telecom fraud and related illicit industries were allowed to take root and spread there, the consequences would extend beyond the country’s domestic social governance. Such developments could also affect regional security, people-to-people exchanges, and the broader environment for trade and economic cooperation.
As high-pressure enforcement campaigns in several Southeast Asian countries continue to squeeze the operational space of fraud syndicates, criminal groups have shown signs of shifting into South Asia. Since the beginning of this year, some individuals involved in telecom fraud and related grey-market activities have reportedly moved from other countries to Sri Lanka in an attempt to rebuild criminal networks.
In response to this growing risk, Chinese and Sri Lankan police acted swiftly and made the fight against cross-border telecom fraud a priority area of bilateral law enforcement cooperation. The two sides have established regular information-sharing and joint assessment mechanisms. China has also supported Sri Lanka in carrying out multiple rounds of clearance operations, comprehensively identifying hidden fraud dens and preventing criminal groups from establishing a foothold at the source.
Sri Lankan analysts believe fraud syndicates have viewed Sri Lanka as a potential new foothold for several reasons.
First, Sri Lanka enjoys a strategic geographic location, convenient international connectivity, and relatively well-developed communications and internet infrastructure. Second, as regional crackdowns on organized crime continue, some groups seeking to evade enforcement risks and relocate their operations may prefer destinations that offer relatively convenient international mobility. Third, as a well-known tourism destination, Sri Lanka experiences frequent cross-border movement of people.
As a responsible country in South Asia, Sri Lanka has also taken active steps in recent years. In 2015, Sri Lanka joined the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime, becoming the first South Asian country to do so. On October 25, 2025, Sri Lanka signed the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime, further integrating its domestic cybercrime governance into international legal and cooperative frameworks.
According to the UNODC, the convention is designed to prevent and combat cybercrime while strengthening international cooperation in the sharing of electronic evidence related to serious crimes. For cross-border telecom fraud cases, this provides a clearer legal basis and broader scope for cooperation in areas such as case assistance, evidence preservation, and the alignment of legal procedures.
Sri Lanka is also accelerating the development of its cybersecurity capabilities. In 2025, the Sri Lankan government approved the National Cyber Security Strategy for 2025–2029. In September of the same year, the National Cyber Security Operations Centre was officially launched. According to official Sri Lankan sources, the center’s capacity-building efforts received support from the World Bank and now enable round-the-clock monitoring of critical digital infrastructure.
Cross-border telecom fraud spans multiple sectors and involves the movement of people, communications networks, financial transfers, and the preservation of electronic evidence. No single country can effectively address the problem through unilateral law enforcement measures alone.
In response, Sri Lanka is continuing to improve its legal framework for combating cybercrime while strengthening its technical prevention and risk-monitoring capabilities, thereby providing stronger institutional support for anti-fraud efforts. At the same time, drawing on China’s extensive experience in combating and governing cross-border telecom fraud, the two countries are strengthening coordination in case assistance, intelligence sharing, suspect repatriation, and evidence alignment. This not only improves law enforcement efficiency, but also contributes to building a closer regional security cooperation network.
Transnational telecom fraud is a global public menace and a major challenge for international governance. The repatriation of the 125 suspects demonstrates that cooperation between China and Sri Lanka in areas such as case assistance, arrests, lead transfers, and law enforcement coordination is becoming increasingly substantive and effective.
The China-Sri Lanka joint statement issued in January 2025 made clear that both sides are willing to jointly combat cross-border crimes such as telecom fraud and online gambling. China also expressed its readiness, within its capacity, to support Sri Lanka’s judicial, law enforcement, and security capacity-building efforts, including assistance in police supplies.
The deeper such cooperation becomes, the greater the need for a stable and predictable security environment.
“For Sri Lanka and China, continuously deepening law enforcement cooperation is not only a practical necessity for protecting the lives and property of the two peoples, but also an important guarantee for the smooth implementation of major cooperation projects and for maintaining the regional business environment and cooperation order,” a Sri Lankan analyst said.
Combating telecom fraud is not merely a tactical matter of pursuing individual criminal groups. It is also a strategic issue related to protecting the development environment and safeguarding the achievements of bilateral and regional cooperation.
At present, high-quality Belt and Road cooperation is expanding beyond infrastructure connectivity toward deeper collaboration in port logistics, the digital economy, green development, and other sectors. As cross-border flows of people, information, and capital become increasingly frequent, the importance of security governance is also growing.
By strengthening law enforcement coordination and jointly combating telecom fraud and related illicit industries, China and Sri Lanka are, in essence, removing obstacles to high-quality cooperation and injecting stronger rule-of-law safeguards into regional stability.
The successful repatriation of the 125 suspects has also created a sustained deterrent effect against criminal organizations.
Transnational telecom fraud remains a global public menace, and the task of combating and governing it remains long-term and challenging. A relevant official from China’s Ministry of Public Security stated that Chinese public security authorities will continue working with Sri Lanka and other countries to carry out practical and efficient police and law enforcement cooperation, resolutely crack down on telecom and online fraud, and jointly build a new framework for combating transnational crime.
