2023-05-16 09:12:02
HONG KONG (AP) — The espionage conviction of a U.S. citizen in China, who was also a Hong Kong permanent resident, shows that the city must “remain vigilant about hidden national security risks in society,” the Hong Kong government said Tuesday. head of government of the semi-autonomous territory.
The government said mainland Chinese authorities had informed Hong Kong of John Shing-Wan Leung’s detention in 2021. He was sentenced to life in prison on Monday. The Hong Kong government is willing to provide assistance to anyone detained by the Chinese authorities if requested, but has not received any requests in Leung’s case, according to the authorities.
Neither Hong Kong’s head of government, John Lee, nor the court in the eastern Chinese city of Suzhou that tried Leung, 78, have released details about his alleged crime.
Since taking office last year, Lee has taken a hard line against dissent, backed by the steadfast attitude of the Chinese authorities, starting with the authoritarian leader of the Communist Party, Xi Jinping.
“This incident showed us that there could be hidden national security risks in society. That is why we reiterate that although the situation in Hong Kong appears to be mostly stabilized, we cannot let our guard down in the face of national security risks,” said Lee, a former police officer and head of security for the city.
The longtime Beijing loyalist, the head of government was all but appointed to the post after running unopposed in a Beijing-prepared election last year.
Leung’s conviction could further sour already strained relations between Beijing and Washington.
Leung was detained on April 15, 2021 by the local office of the Chinese counterintelligence agency in Suzhou, according to a statement shared on social media by the city’s intermediate court. His arrest came as China had closed its borders and imposed strict quarantines and restrictions on internal travel to curb the spread of COVID-19, measures that have affected tens of millions of people.
Investigations and prosecutions of espionage are conducted in secret and not much information is usually published.
Leung’s harsh sentence was especially striking given his previous affiliation with pro-Communist Party organizations, including one that seeks international support for Beijing’s goal of unifying with self-ruled Taiwan.
Relations between Washington and Beijing are at their worst in decades over disputes over trade, technology, human rights and China’s growing aggressiveness in its territorial claims to Taiwan, the South China Sea and elsewhere.
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