Chinese spies in London jailed for spying on Hong Kong dissidents
Two officers have been sentenced to eight and ten years’ imprisonment; according to British counter-terrorism forces, they were ‘carrying out shadow policing’ on behalf of the authorities in Beijing
Two men, including a former British Border Force officer and a former Hong Kong superintendent, have been jailed for spying on pro-democracy dissidents on behalf of the Chinese government. A judge sentenced them to eight and ten years’ imprisonment.
“They were carrying out shadow policing”, that is, intelligence and intimidation operations conducted illegally on foreign soil, “surveilling individuals in the UK on behalf of the authorities in Hong Kong and China”, said Helen Flanagan, head of counter-terrorism, in an interview with Sky News.
Chi Leung “Peter” Wai, aged 41, was an employee of the UK Border Force at Heathrow Airport. He had also set up a private security firm when he began spying on behalf of the other convicted man, Chung Biu “Bill” Yuen, aged 66, a former superintendent from Hong Kong. Between December 2023 and May 2024, Wai had accessed the UK Home Office’s data archive on several occasions to gather information.
The two men – Peter and Bill – were sentenced to eight and ten years’ imprisonment. Activist Christopher Mung, one of the targets of the espionage operations, with a bounty of 100,000 pounds on his head, said the sentence was ‘well deserved’ and expressed the hope that it would serve as a ‘strong deterrent’. Mung strongly criticised Hketo, the Hong Kong government’s official representative body abroad: “As long as the Hketo continues to operate in its current manner, it will remain a source of concern for Hong Kong communities living in the UK,” he continued, in an interview with Sky News.
“The facts of this case clearly demonstrate that this is nothing less than a political manoeuvre by the United Kingdom, aimed at abusing the law and manipulating the judicial process. Its sole purpose is to embolden anti-China elements determined to destabilise Hong Kong, who are hiding in the UK, as well as to discredit the Chinese and Hong Kong governments. We urge the UK to put an immediate end to anti-China political manipulation, to stop supporting and encouraging such anti-China elements, and to cease all actions aimed at discrediting China and interfering in Hong Kong’s affairs,” the Chinese Embassy in the UK replied, also to Sky News.
