Why Paris Is Importing Police Officers From China

This summer, Paris will get a new security force patrolling its streets: police from China. Part of a plan announced this week by France’s interior ministry, the People’s Republic will provide francophone officers (paired with French counterparts) to monitor areas of the French capital where Chinese tourists congregate.

The idea of a foreign police force pounding Paris’ sidewalks might sound odd, but the problem it’s addressing is very real: a rise in crime against East Asian tourists. The number of incidents has been rising steadily, ranging from pickpocketing to a notorious case last spring where a party of 23 Chinese visitors was attacked and robbed at a restaurant near Charles de Gaulle Airport. Chinese and Japanese tourists are often targeted before visitors from other areas because they have a reputation for carrying around large amounts of cash. As news of this rash of robberies filters back to China, the damage it could do Paris’ economic health is potentially high. China’s tourists spend more on shopping than any other nation’s, and the French capital is their favorite European destination.