Two men accused of collaborating with Hong Kong’s foreign intelligence service appeared at London’s Old Bailey court on Thursday, where they denied the charges.
Chung Biu Yuen, 64, and Chi Leung Wai, 39—also known as Peter Wai—pleaded "not guilty" to two counts under Britain’s National Security Act. The legislation, enacted in 2022, expands the government’s powers to address threats from foreign states.
The defendants, both dual citizens of China and Britain, are accused of aiding a foreign intelligence service by participating in information gathering, surveillance, and acts of deception in Britain between December 2023 and May 2024. They are further charged with "foreign interference" for allegedly forcing entry into a residential property on May 1.
According to police, the activities were conducted on behalf of Hong Kong’s intelligence service. The Chinese Embassy in London has dismissed the accusations as fabricated and claimed Britain has no right to meddle in Hong Kong’s internal affairs.
Chung, a retired Hong Kong police officer currently serving as an office manager at Hong Kong’s Economic and Trade Office in London, and Wai, who has worked as a UK Border Force officer and a volunteer part-time officer with the City of London Police, face trial starting on March 10. The proceedings are expected to last four weeks.
A third co-defendant, Matthew Trickett, 37, a former British Royal Marine who later worked as an immigration officer and private investigator, was charged with the same offenses but was found dead in a Maidenhead park in May shortly after the charges were announced.
Hong Kong, a former British colony until its 1997 handover to China, has been a point of contention between the two nations. Tensions have intensified since Beijing’s national security crackdown following the 2019 pro-democracy protests.
Last month, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer met Chinese President Xi Jinping, emphasizing the need for "consistent, durable" relations as part of efforts to reduce diplomatic friction. Photo by Michael D Beckwith, Wikimedia commons.
