China rings alarm on Cambodia’s Poipet border, hopes to tackle gambling crimes

March 5, 2025

China rings alarm on Cambodia’s Poipet border, hopes to tackle gambling crimes

China’s Vice-Minister of Public Security, Liu Zhongyi, led a delegation to Cambodia’s Poipet International Border Checkpoint on 2 March 2025, holding high-level talks with Cambodian officials to strengthen cross-border security and crack down on online fraud and illegal gambling.

During his visit, Liu met key Cambodian officials, including the Chairman of the Provincial Council, the Provincial Governor, and senior security and administrative officers. Discussions focused on tackling online scams and illegal border crossings, with both sides committing to deeper cooperation against cross-border crime.

Simultaneously, Cambodia’s Deputy Prime Minister for Foreign Affairs met with China’s Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs to reinforce broader security and diplomatic ties.

Poipet: crime’s new casino

Poipet, a border town near Thailand, is notorious for its casinos, both legal and illegal due to its proximity to Bangkok and Pattaya. Though Cambodia does not share a border with China, the rise of scam operations within its territory has become a concern for Beijing, as many Chinese nationals have been lured into working for fraudulent enterprises or have fallen victim to them.

China has been pushing for stronger action against these operations. In recent years, Cambodia has seen a surge in illegal betting and online scams. China has pledged its support to Cambodian authorities to dismantle these networks, leading to the repatriation of over 1,200 Chinese nationals involved in gambling fraud in the first half of 2024.

The issue extends beyond Cambodia. In India, Assam police recently arrested three suspects involved in a multi-crore cryptocurrency scam that manipulated RSN Token prices using Chinese-linked exchanges. The mastermind remains at large, and cybercrime authorities are investigating.

Countries like China-Thailand worried

The growing regional impact of these scams has prompted neighbouring countries to act. Thailand’s Prime Minister recently chaired a meeting focused on shutting down call centre gangs and online fraud networks. Following a raid in Poipet that rescued 215 people from a scam compound, Thailand has proposed building a 55-kilometre border wall along the Sa Kaeo-Poipet area to prevent illegal crossings.

China has also expanded its efforts beyond Southeast Asia. In 2020, it introduced a blacklist system to stop its citizens from travelling to countries known for illegal gambling and fraud.

A recent crackdown involving Thailand, Myanmar, and China led to the detention of over 7,000 people in a Myanmar border town, all awaiting repatriation. Many were lured in with false job offers and ended up trapped in scam centres across Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos.

China and its neighbours are now tightening enforcement, ramping up security measures, and targeting the syndicates behind these operations.