Hong Kong condemns Britain’s spying allegations against trade officer

HONG KONG – Hong Kong’s leader condemned

Britain’s move to charge three men with assisting an intelligence service

from the city, underscoring tensions between the Asian finance hub and the British government.

“Any attempt to make unwarranted allegations against the Hong Kong government is unacceptable,” Chief Executive John Lee said at a regular press briefing on May 14.

He appealed for fair treatment for one of the suspects, who works for Hong Kong’s trade outpost in London, and said his government had requested details of the case from the British Consulate-General.

Among the trio charged on May 13 with foreign interference and assisting a foreign intelligence service was Chung Biu Yuen, 63, who works as an office manager at the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London.

The two others are Chi Leung Wai, a UK Border Force officer, and Matthew Trickett, a private investigator.

The men were alleged to have conducted information gathering, surveillance and acts of deception that were likely to assist a foreign intelligence service between December 2023 and May 2024. 

The authorities did not state the name of the agency.

The National Security Department, established in 2020 on the mandate of a Beijing-imposed national security law, has an intelligence unit, but has not publicised any overseas activities.

China’s embassy in Britain condemned the British authorities’ “fabrication of the so-called case” in a statement on May 13, adding that it had made representations to Britain on the matter. 

The charges come as London seeks to recalibrate its ties with the world’s second-largest economy.

Foreign Secretary David Cameron in 2015 proclaimed a “golden era” of relations with Beijing during his time as prime minister, but ties have deteriorated over concerns about China’s alleged interference in the British Parliament and Beijing’s clampdown on freedoms in Hong Kong.

The allegations put a spotlight on the overseas presence of the city’s Economic and Trade Offices, which promote Hong Kong’s commercial ties in 14 countries spanning Asia to North America.

In London, the premises and staff of the office receive privileges and immunities similar to those afforded to diplomatic missions.

In the US, the existence of such offices were subject to debate after the Trump administration in 2020 declared the city no longer maintained a high degree of autonomy from China. 

A US Senate Committee passed a Bill in 2023 that could shut down Hong Kong’s three economic and trade offices – in New York, San Francisco and Washington – because of the city’s changed political status.

The Hong Kong government condemned the legislation as interference in the city’s affairs.

Mr Lee said Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices (ETO) globally will continue to work to further economic and cultural ties.

“Any attempt to interfere with the work of ETO offices in different places will be against free trade and free economy and will be harming the economy of the countries that try to do bad things to the operation of the ETO offices,” he said on May 14.

The accused appeared at a London court on May 13 and were granted bail. The next hearing is scheduled for May 24. BLOOMBERG