Martin Purbrick

Martin Purbrick is a writer, analyst, and consultant. He spent over 32 years in Asia working in the Royal Hong Kong Police serving in Special Branch and the Criminal Intelligence Bureau, followed by senior leadership roles managing financial crime risk with several major companies. Martin is an Honorary Fellow at the Keele Policing Academic Collaboration (KPAC) of the Keele University focused on public order and criminology in Asia.

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MSS Sensationalizes National Security Awareness

11.07.2025 Martin Purbrick

Executive Summary: Online messaging campaigns from the Ministry of State Security (MSS) seek to educate citizens about national security threats and to instill a suspicion...

Publication China Brief Notes China

Criminal Organizations as Vectors of Influence in Taiwan

09.05.2025 Martin Purbrick

Executive Summary: The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has increasingly co-opted Taiwanese organized crime groups—most notably the Bamboo Union—for its united front efforts, using them to...

Publication China Brief

Generally Unacceptable Accounting Principles: Lessons From PwC and AstraZeneca’s Contrasting Fates

06.07.2025 Martin Purbrick

Executive Summary: The contrasting fates of foreign companies in two recent fraud cases suggest that the People’s Republic of China (PRC) treats firms differently depending...

Publication China Brief China

Hongmen Associations Have Links to United Front and Organized Crime

06.07.2025 Martin Purbrick

Executive Summary: Hongmen associations, with historical roots in Qing-era secret societies, have become entangled in Chinese Communist Party (CCP) united front efforts abroad, particularly through...

Publication China Brief