She Zhijiang's Extradition: A Key Moment in Thailand-China Relations
She Zhijiang, a Chinese national accused of building an illicit gambling empire in South East Asia, is being extradited to China, concluding a prolonged legal battle.
He was detained in Thailand since 2022 after the Thai police acted on a Chinese request to Interpol. China has charged She with operating illegal online gambling rings. A Thai court upheld the extradition decision this week, and he was transported to the airport in Bangkok flanked by security officials.
This extradition takes place just ahead of a historic visit by Thailand's king to Beijing—the first by a reigning Thai monarch—and reflects the strengthening ties between the two nations.
She’s complex background places him at the center of extensive cyberscam hubs in Southeast Asia. His most infamous project, Shwe Kokko city in Myanmar, has been portrayed as a glamorous resort for Chinese tourists. However, it is implicated in fraud, money laundering, and human trafficking. Reports from the BBC during a visit earlier this year suggested a lack of foreign visitors and ongoing scam operations within the city.
The United States and the United Kingdom have sanctioned She and his company, Yatai, due to their connections to various human rights abuses linked to the scam industry.
Who is She Zhijiang?
Born in 1982 in a poor Hunan province village, She left school at 14 and learned computer programming. Eventually, he engaged in online gambling, illegal within China. His ventures expanded to Cambodia, leading to serious legal repercussions, including a conviction for running an illegal lottery.
He reportedly holds citizenship in both Cambodia and Myanmar, with the UN estimating hundreds of thousands of victims trapped in scam operations across Southeast Asia, many of whom are Chinese nationals. China's crackdown on these operations has intensified recently, leading to severe legal actions against involved parties.
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