14-5-2024 (HONG KONG) Hong Kong’s Chief Executive, John Lee, has condemned the British government’s decision to charge three men with assisting an intelligence service, highlighting ongoing tensions between Hong Kong and the UK.
“Any attempt to make unwarranted allegations against the Hong Kong government is unacceptable,” Lee stated during a regular press briefing on May 14. He called for fair treatment for Chung Biu Yuen, one of the accused who works for Hong Kong’s trade outpost in London, and indicated that his government had sought further details from the British Consulate-General.
The charges, announced on May 13, include foreign interference and assisting a foreign intelligence service. Among the accused are Chung Biu Yuen, a 63-year-old office manager at the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London, Chi Leung Wai, a UK Border Force officer, and Matthew Trickett, a private investigator. The allegations involve information gathering, surveillance, and deceptive activities conducted between December 2023 and May 2024, though the specific foreign intelligence service was not named.
The National Security Department, established under the Beijing-imposed national security law in 2020, includes an intelligence unit but has not disclosed any overseas operations.
Reacting to the charges, China’s embassy in Britain denounced them as a “fabrication” and stated it had made representations to the UK on the matter. This incident comes amid London’s efforts to reassess its relationship with China. The “golden era” of UK-China relations declared by former Prime Minister David Cameron in 2015 has since soured due to concerns over China’s interference in British parliamentary affairs and the crackdown on freedoms in Hong Kong.
The case casts a spotlight on Hong Kong’s Economic and Trade Offices (ETOs), which promote the city’s commercial interests across 14 countries from Asia to North America. These offices enjoy privileges and immunities similar to diplomatic missions, especially in London. However, their status has been debated, particularly in the US, where the Trump administration in 2020 declared Hong Kong no longer maintained significant autonomy from China. This led to a US Senate Committee passing a bill in 2023 that could close Hong Kong’s ETOs in New York, San Francisco, and Washington.
Hong Kong’s government has criticized this legislation as an interference in its internal affairs. John Lee reaffirmed that the ETOs will continue their mission to enhance economic and cultural ties globally. “Any attempt to interfere with the work of ETO offices will be against free trade and free economy, harming the economy of the countries trying to disrupt ETO operations,” Lee asserted on May 14.
The accused appeared in a London court on May 13 and were granted bail. Their next hearing is scheduled for May 24.
