By Michael Holden
LONDON, March 4 (Reuters) – Two men went on trial in London on Wednesday accused by British prosecutors of carrying out hostile surveillance on well-known pro-democracy dissidents for Hong Kong and, ultimately, China.
Hong Kong was under British rule for 156 years before reverting to Chinese sovereignty in 1997, and there have been growing tensions between the two nations over a sweeping national security crackdown since sometimes violent pro-democracy protests swept the territory in 2019.
Chung Biu Yuen, 65, and Chi Leung Wai, 38, both dual Chinese and British nationals, deny charges of assisting a foreign intelligence service between December 2023 and May 2024 and conducting “foreign interference” by forcing entry into a residential address on May 1.
Prosecutor Duncan Atkinson told London’s Old Bailey court the two men had been tasked to carry out “shadow policing operations on behalf of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and thereby the People’s Republic of China”.
SPYING ON NATHAN LAW
Atkinson said this included targeting dissidents now resident in Britain for whom the Hong Kong government had issued bounties of about 100,000 pounds ($133,710) for information leading to their whereabouts or capture.
“Messaging on Mr Yuen’s phone between him and Wai indicated that surveillance on pro-democracy protester Nathan Law had been ongoing since 2021,” Atkinson said. “The evidence includes messages regarding surveillance against Nathan Law and discussion around his associates badmouthing Hong Kong.”
Yuen, a retired Hong Kong police officer, worked at Hong Kong’s Economic and Trade Office (HKETO) in London. Wai, known as Peter Wai, worked as a UK Border Force officer and as a volunteer part-time officer for the City of London Police, Atkinson said.
The two men are also accused of gathering intelligence on behalf of HKETO about Monica Kwong who left Hong Kong in December 2023 after being accused of fraud by her employer Tina Zou, Atkinson said.
The defendants carried out surveillance on Kwong’s residence in Pontefract, northern England, and used deception and then force to attempt to get into her home, Atkinson said.
Wai is also accused of misusing his job with the Border Force to gain access to the interior ministry’s computer system.
The Chinese Embassy in London has accused Britain of fabricating the charges against the men and said it had no right to interfere in Hong Kong’s affairs.
In January, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer visited China and held talks with President Xi Jinping as part of an effort to improve bilateral relations, which have been strained in recent years amid mutual accusations of spying.
Starmer is seeking to strike a difficult balance between warning of the security threat Beijing poses while trying to boost economic ties. His government recently approved China’s plans to build in London its largest embassy in Europe.
($1 = 0.7479 pounds)
(Reporting by Michael HoldenEditing by Gareth Jones)
