China called Britain’s jailing of two Chinese-British dual nationals for spying on Beijing’s behalf “a classic political farce” on Friday, urging the country to correct its “wrong actions”.
A British court jailed former UK Border Force officer Peter Wai and retired Hong Kong policeman Bill Yuen on Thursday after they were convicted of spying on Hong Kong dissidents in Britain on behalf of China.
Tens of thousands of people, including democracy activists wanted by Chinese authorities, have moved to Britain since Hong Kong passed a strict national security law in mid-2020.
Beijing’s foreign ministry urged the UK on Friday to “stop political manipulation against China” when asked for a response to the men’s jailing.
“We once again call on the UK side to correct its wrong actions, stop political manipulation against China and stop encouraging and supporting anti-China elements that seek to destabilize Hong Kong,” the ministry said in a statement.
Wai, 40, was jailed for 10 years and Yuen, 65, was given an eight-year sentence for carrying out “shadow policing” on British soil.
The court heard the pair targeted Hong Kong dissidents and pro-democracy protesters living in Britain, with “particular attention” also paid to politicians, including Iain Duncan Smith, a former leader of the opposition Conservative party who has been critical of Beijing.
They carried out intelligence gathering, surveillance and acts of deception, with one operation seizing pictures of prominent campaigner Nathan Law.
