On May 7, two Chinese citizens, Chung Biu Yuen, 65, a former Hong Kong police officer now employed at the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (HKETO) in London, and Chi Leung Wai, 40, an ex-UK Border Force officer and special constable at City of London Police, were both convicted under the draconian National Security Act 2023 on charges of “assisting a foreign intelligence service by conducting unauthorised information‑gathering and unlawful surveillance in the UK to benefit China”, following a trial at the Old Bailey in London. They have been remanded in custody and are due to be sentenced at a date yet to be confirmed.
The next day, Chinese Ambassador to the UK Zheng Zeguang requested a meeting with a Foreign Commonwealth and Development (FCDO) official, during which he made further representations with the UK side on the so-called verdict by a UK court on two Chinese, refuted the unfounded accusations of the UK side and urged the UK side to correct its mistake, stop the anti-China political manipulation, stop wantonly arresting and convicting Chinese citizens in the UK, and stop emboldening anti-China elements.
Ambassador Zheng pointed out that the UK side used trumped-up crimes to arrest and indict Chinese citizens in the UK. The so-called conviction was the outcome of abusing the law and manipulating the judicial process by the UK side. It is nothing but a political farce.
The UK side, he continued, harbours wanted criminals and wantonly arrested and convicted Chinese citizens in the UK. This act disrespects the rule of law and seriously violated basic norms of international relations. It has gravely undermined China-UK relations. This is totally intolerable to the Chinese side.
The Ambassador urged the UK side to correct its mistake, stop the anti-China political manipulation, stop wantonly arresting and convicting Chinese citizens in the UK, and stop backing and emboldening those anti-China elements. The UK side must know that any acts aimed at jeopardising China’s interests will be met with firm countermeasures.
The previous day, a spokesperson for the embassy stated: “The Chinese side has made clear its principled position on the relevant case many times. The facts of this case clearly show that this is nothing but a political move of abusing the law and manipulating the judicial process by the UK side. Its sole purpose is to embolden those anti-China elements who are hiding in the UK and bent on destablising Hong Kong, and to smear the Chinese government and the Hong Kong SAR [Special Administrative Region] government.”
The spokesperson concluded: “We will take necessary measures to firmly safeguard our interests.”
The following articles were originally published on the website of the Chinese Embassy in London.
Ambassador Zheng Zeguang Makes Solemn Representations with UK FCDO Official, Urges the UK Side to Stop Anti-China Political Manipulation and Stop Emboldening Anti-China Elements
May 10 (Chinese Embassy in London) – On 8 May, Chinese Ambassador to the UK Zheng Zeguang requested a meeting with an FCDO official, during which he made further representations with the UK side on the so-called verdict by a UK court on two Chinese citizens including an employee of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London, refuted the unfounded accusations of the UK side and urged the UK side to correct its mistake, stop the anti-China political manipulation, stop wantonly arresting and convicting Chinese citizens in the UK, and stop emboldening Anti-China elements.
Ambassador Zheng pointed out that the UK side used trumped-up crimes to arrest and indict Chinese citizens in the UK. The so-called conviction was the outcome of abusing the law and manipulating the judicial process by the UK side. It is nothing but a political farce. Its sole purpose is to embolden those anti-China elements who are hiding in the UK and bent on destablising Hong Kong, and to smear the Chinese central government and the Hong Kong SAR government. We are strongly against it and deplore such an act.
Ambassador Zheng stressed that the Chinese government remains steadfast in its determination to deal with those anti-China elements bent on destabilising Hong Kong and to safeguard the city’s stability and prosperity. The UK side harbours wanted criminals, and wantonly arrested and convicted Chinese citizens in the UK. This act disrespects the rule of law, and seriously violated basic norms of international relations. It has gravely undermined China-UK relations. This is totally intolerable to the Chinese side.
Ambassador Zheng urged the UK side to correct its mistake, stop the anti-China political manipulation, stop wantonly arresting and convicting Chinese citizens in the UK, and stop backing and emboldening those anti-China elements. The UK side must know that any acts aimed at jeopardising China’s interests will be met with firm countermeasures.
Spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy on the So-called Verdict by a UK Court on an Employee of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London
May 7 (Chinese Embassy in London) – On 7 May, a court in the UK convicted Chung Biu Yuen, an employee of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London, of “assisting a foreign intelligence service”. Spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy issued the following statement on this matter:
The Chinese side has made clear its principled position on the relevant case many times. The facts of this case clearly show that this is nothing but a political move of abusing the law and manipulating the judicial process by the UK side. Its sole purpose is to embolden those anti-China elements who are hiding in the UK and bent on destablising Hong Kong, and to smear the Chinese government and the Hong Kong SAR government. We deplore such an act and have made solemn representations with the UK side.
We urge the UK side to immediately stop the anti-China political manipulation, stop backing and emboldening those anti-China elements and stop all acts that smear China and interfere in Hong Kong affairs. We will take necessary measures to firmly safeguard our interests.
