Global Anti-Fraud Alliance Launched in China
An international alliance dedicated to combating telecom and online fraud was formally established on September 10, 2026, at a founding conference in Lianyungang, Jiangsu Province, China. Representatives from 46 founding countries, 34 observer countries, and four international organizations — including the United Nations and INTERPOL — attended the event, according to Xinhua News.
The new body, the International Alliance Against Telecom and Online Fraud, is a Chinese government-initiated intergovernmental organization designed to coordinate cross-border law-enforcement efforts against scam networks that have spread rapidly worldwide. The parties jointly issued a “Joint Statement on the Establishment of the International Alliance Against Telecom and Online Fraud.”
A Global Public Nuisance
The joint statement described telecom and online fraud as a “global public nuisance” and called for a more focused, professional, efficient, and action-oriented intergovernmental organization built on international conventions. According to China News Service, the statement emphasized the need to protect the safety and lawful rights of citizens, legal persons, and other organizations across all participating countries.
At the conference, representatives of founding and initiating countries — including China, Vietnam, Laos, Kenya, Cambodia, Pakistan, and Russia — delivered remarks, while an INTERPOL representative offered congratulations. Xinhua reported that the parties expressed high appreciation for China’s role in initiating the alliance and voiced confidence in its ability to curb the global spread of telecom fraud.
China’s Role and the Road to Establishment
The alliance is framed as implementing the Global Security Initiative and the Global Governance Initiative, two Chinese foreign-policy frameworks. It is intended to have broad participation from national law-enforcement agencies and to possess operational coordination capacity and professionalism.
The initiative was first proposed during the Global Public Security Cooperation Forum (Lianyungang) in September 2025, according to Global Times. The proposal gained momentum at a November 14, 2025 ministerial-level meeting in Kunming, Yunnan, where China, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam signed an outcome document and further consulted on the alliance, as People’s Daily reported. On June 17, 2026, a China-Myanmar joint statement expressed both sides’ support for the alliance’s establishment, per Sina Finance.
At a July 24, 2026 press conference, Jiang Guoli, director of the Criminal Investigation Bureau of China’s Ministry of Public Security, announced that the founding conference would be held during the 2026 Lianyungang forum and noted that more than 40 countries had expressed intent to join. He described the alliance as upholding the principles of “extensive consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefits.”
A Track Record of Enforcement
China’s push for the alliance rests on an extensive record of cross-border enforcement cooperation. According to Red Star News, Jiang said China has conducted international law-enforcement cooperation with more than 30 countries, including Spain, the United Arab Emirates, and Myanmar.
Since 2023, China has strengthened police cooperation with Myanmar, clearing large-scale fraud parks along the northern border, capturing and transferring more than 59,000 fraud suspects, and dismantling the notorious Kokang “Four Families” criminal groups. In early 2025, China, Myanmar, and Thailand established a ministerial-level coordination mechanism and conducted 10 joint repatriation operations; all 630-plus buildings in the Myawaddy KK Park were demolished. In 2026, Chinese, U.S., and Emirati police conducted their first joint international law-enforcement operation, destroying nine fraud dens and arresting 276 suspects. Cooperation with Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka led to the capture and repatriation of more than 20,000 fraud suspects.
The “Public Security Development 15th Five-Year Plan” lists “combating and governing telecom and online fraud crimes” as a key task, underscoring the priority Beijing assigns to the issue.
Regional and International Reactions
The alliance has drawn support beyond Asia. South Africa’s Communications Risk Information Centre (COMRiC) welcomed the initiative. Its chief executive said in a bulletin: “In this interconnected world, telecom fraud knows no borders. By pooling resources, sharing intelligence, and unifying standards, we believe the international anti-fraud alliance can form a strong deterrent and significantly enhance Africa’s ability to protect its citizens.” The organization pledged professional support and urged governments, regulators, and industry to move the initiative from concept to implementation.
Analysis: Coordination Meets Geopolitics
The alliance represents a significant step in institutionalizing global anti-fraud cooperation, but it also reflects China’s broader ambition to shape international security governance. By positioning the body as complementing existing organizations and cooperation mechanisms within the framework of international law, Beijing appears to be seeking to reassure partners wary of a China-led security architecture.
The emphasis on an “intergovernmental” organization based on “international conventions” signals a desire for durability and legitimacy beyond ad hoc police operations. Yet questions remain about how the alliance will operate in practice — its funding, decision-making structure, and relationship with existing bodies such as INTERPOL have not been detailed publicly.
What’s Next
The alliance’s founding marks the beginning of a new phase in the fight against transnational fraud. Key questions to watch include which countries will formally ratify participation, how intelligence-sharing will be governed, and whether the body can translate its stated ambitions into concrete operations. For now, the Lianyungang conference has given the global anti-fraud effort a new institutional home — and China a central role in shaping it.