China's Long Arm in Britain: Two Men Convicted of Spying on Hong Kong Dissidents

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Guilty Verdict at the Old Bailey

A jury at London's famous Old Bailey court delivered its verdict on Thursday, May 7, 2026: Chung Biu Yuen, 65, known as "Bill," and Chi Leung Wai, 40, known as "Peter," are guilty of assisting a foreign intelligence service. Both men hold dual British and Chinese nationality.

The two were found to have acted on behalf of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region — and, through it, the People's Republic of China — between December 2023 and May 2024. Their targets: Hong Kong pro-democracy activists who had fled to the United Kingdom to escape Beijing's tightening grip.

Shadow Policing on British Soil

Prosecutor Duncan Atkinson told jurors the pair had been tasked with carrying out what he called "shadow policing operations." In plain terms: Beijing used trusted insiders already embedded in British institutions to spy on dissidents living freely in the UK.

Yuen was no ordinary civilian. He worked as Administrative Manager at Hong Kong's Economic and Trade Office (HKETO) in London — a government body that, as this case has shown, apparently doubled as an intelligence hub. Wai's position was even more alarming: he served as a UK Border Force officer at Heathrow Airport and held an additional role as a volunteer constable with the City of London Police. He was also convicted of abusing his Border Force access to illegally enter the UK Home Office's internal computer system.

Together, the two men formed a surveillance apparatus operating in the heart of British society.

Targeting Activists — With Bounties on Their Heads

One of the primary targets was Nathan Law, a prominent Hong Kong democracy activist now living in exile in the United Kingdom. In July 2023, Hong Kong authorities placed a bounty of HK$1 million — roughly US$128,000 — on Law and several other exiled activists, charging them with "collusion with foreign forces" under the sweeping National Security Law Beijing imposed on Hong Kong in 2020.

According to prosecutors, surveillance on Law had been ongoing since as early as 2021. Phone messages presented in court showed Wai sending Yuen photographs of Law's car and license plate. Other messages discussed plans to monitor British politicians sympathetic to the pro-democracy movement, with Yuen instructing Wai to pay "special attention" to lawmakers and local councilors at events.

In those same messages, the activists being tracked were referred to as "cockroaches" — dehumanizing language that speaks volumes about the mindset driving these operations.

A Third Suspect — Found Dead

A third man was originally charged alongside Yuen and Wai: Matthew Trickett, 37, a former British Royal Marine who had worked as an immigration enforcement officer and private investigator. According to court records, Trickett had admitted in a police interview to taking the surveillance job, saying he had been told it was legal and legitimate.

Trickett was found dead shortly after the three men were charged. Authorities did not treat his death as suspicious. His phone, unlocked by investigators, reportedly contained a large volume of espionage-related material, including Nathan Law's home and work addresses and numerous photographs taken at protests.

The Break-In That Blew the Cover

The operation began to unravel on May 1, 2024, when a team of operatives allegedly forced their way into the home of Monica Kwong in Pontefract, northern England. Kwong is a Hong Kong national accused of fraud by Hong Kong authorities. The forced entry appears to have been an attempt to locate and pressure her on behalf of those same authorities.

The jury was unable to reach a verdict on the separate charge of "foreign interference" relating to this incident. That aspect of the case remains legally unresolved.

Beijing Denies, Britain Protests

The Chinese Embassy in London has flatly rejected the convictions, accusing Britain of fabricating the charges for political reasons. This response follows a familiar pattern: whenever Western courts or governments expose Chinese state-sponsored espionage, Beijing dismisses the evidence and accuses the accusers.

The UK government has repeatedly raised the issue of Chinese espionage operations on British soil. These cases have created significant friction in UK-China relations, even as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer traveled to Beijing in January 2026 seeking to rebuild diplomatic ties.

For many observers, this verdict confirms what human rights organizations have long warned: the Chinese Communist Party does not respect national borders when it comes to silencing those who challenge its rule. Hong Kong's democracy activists sought safety in Britain. Instead, they found themselves hunted — by agents embedded in British institutions.

A Pattern, Not an Anomaly

This case is not isolated. Over recent years, the CCP has been repeatedly linked to transnational repression campaigns, targeting diaspora communities, dissidents, and journalists across Europe, North America, and beyond. From unofficial "police stations" to cyber intrusions to physical surveillance, Beijing's toolkit for harassing critics abroad is wide and well-documented.

The conviction of Yuen and Wai is a rare moment of accountability. It sends a message that British courts and security services are watching. But it also raises a harder question: how many more operations like this one remain undetected?

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Sources

1. Reuters — Trial coverage and verdict report: https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/two-men-found-guilty-spying-150703904.html
2. Taipei Times — Trial opening and charge details: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2026/03/06/2003853367
3. Taipei Times — Yuen cross-examination details: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2026/03/26/2003854511
4. Wikipedia — 2024 Hong Kong trade office spy case (comprehensive case documentation): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_Hong_Kong_trade_office_spy_case
5. NPR — Hong Kong arrest warrants and bounties for exiled activists: https://www.npr.org/2023/07/03/1185795838/hong-kong-arrest-warrants-activists-nathan-law

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