A pro-Beijing party in Hong Kong has staged a demonstration outside the city’s British consulate over a high-profile spy case that led to the imprisonment of two Chinese-British people in the UK.
The Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions (HKFTU) protested on Tuesday against the jailing of retired police officer Bill Yuen, who worked as a manager at the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (HKETO), which represents the Hong Kong government in London.
Yuen’s jailing was a “complete political manipulation and judicial fabrication, interfering in China’s domestic politics and Hong Kong affairs,” Stanley Ng, chairman of the HKFTU and a lawmaker, said in Cantonese.
“The British government should recognize the global trend and correct its course as soon as possible to avoid damaging the normal trade and personnel exchange between China and the UK,” Ng said.
Yuen, 66, was sentenced to eight years behind bars last week after pleading guilty to aiding a foreign intelligence service under UK national security laws.
Ng did not name the second defendant in the case, former UK Border Force officer Peter Wai, 41, who was jailed for 10 years on the same charge, as well as a charge of misconduct in public office.
The demonstration was attended by about 30 FTU members, including Ng and fellow lawmakers Joephy Chan and Lee Kwong-yu.
HKFP has contacted the British consulate in the city for comment.
Yuen and Wai were arrested in 2024. UK authorities accused the pair of gathering information and surveillance on Hong Kong dissidents and pro-democracy protesters living in Britain.
The court heard the pair targeted prominent activists such as Nathan Law, as well as UK politicians including Iain Duncan Smith, a former leader of the opposition Conservative Party and a critic of Beijing.
‘Full force of law’
Separately, on Monday, Dianne Hayter, a member of the UK House of Lords, asked what plans the British government had to protect Hongkongers living in the country from “transnational repression”, as well as to review HKETO’s operations.
In response, David Hanson, minister of state at the UK Home Office, said any foreign attempt to intimidate, harass or harm people living in Britain “will not be tolerated”.
“This trial has shown that anyone who works to help a foreign state undermine our security will face the full force of the law,” he said.
“The Foreign Secretary (Yvette Cooper) has also made it clear to the Chinese government and directly to HKETO that these activities are unacceptable and clearly counterproductive to our relationship,” he added.
Hanson also said that the UK Home Office has increased the protection of its systems, including implementing enhanced integrity checks and revising its conflict of interest policies.
Authorities also updated government guidelines on transnational repression and provided training to frontline police officers, he said.
China called for the jailing of the two men “A classic political farce” last week, while the Hong Kong government denied what it called “baseless accusations and defamation” by the UK.
“The UK side launched the case on baseless charges, abused the law and manipulated court proceedings to secure conviction,” the Hong Kong government said in a statement.
