By Michael Holden
LONDON, March 4 (Reuters) - Two men went on trial in London on Wednesday, accused by British prosecutors of spying on well-known Hong Kong pro-democracy dissidents based in the United Kingdom on behalf of the city's authorities and, ultimately, China.
Hong Kong was under British rule for 156 years before reverting to Chinese sovereignty in 1997, and there have been growing tensions between the two nations over a sweeping national security crackdown since sometimes violent pro-democracy protests swept the territory in 2019.
Chung Biu Yuen, 65, and Chi Leung Wai, 38, both dual Chinese and British nationals, deny charges of assisting a foreign intelligence service between December 2023 and May 2024 and conducting "foreign interference" by forcing entry into a residential address on May 1.
Prosecutor Duncan Atkinson told London's Old Bailey court the two men had been tasked to carry out "shadow policing operations on behalf of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and thereby the People's Republic of China".
SPYING ON NATHAN LAW
Atkinson said this included targeting dissidents now resident in Britain for whom the Hong Kong government had issued bounties of HK$1 million ($130,000), for information leading to their whereabouts or capture.
"Messaging on Mr Yuen's phone between him and Wai indicated that surveillance on pro-democracy protester Nathan Law had been ongoing since 2021," Atkinson said.
Yuen, a retired Hong Kong police officer, worked at Hong Kong's Economic and Trade Office (HKETO) in London. Wai, known as Peter Wai, worked as a UK Border Force officer and as a volunteer part-time officer for the City of London Police, Atkinson said.
The jury were shown numerous messages between Yuen, Wai and others, which the prosecution said showed them discussing plans to target activists, who were referred to as "cockroaches".
Atkinson said one message from Yuen to Wai asked him to carry out surveillance on British political figures at one event, and pay "special attention to the government people or the UK members of parliament, local councillors".
Another message from someone who Atkinson said was a former senior Hong Kong police officer requested information about Iain Duncan Smith, a former leader of the Conservative Party and a prominent Beijing critic.
The two men are also accused of gathering intelligence on behalf of HKETO about Monica Kwong who left Hong Kong in December 2023 after being accused of fraud by her employer Tina Zou, Atkinson said.
Wai is also accused of misusing his job with the Border Force to gain access to the interior ministry's computer system.
The Chinese Embassy in London has accused Britain of fabricating the charges against the men and said it had no right to interfere in Hong Kong's affairs.
In January, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer visited China as part of an effort to improve bilateral relations, which have been strained in recent years amid mutual accusations of spying.
(Reporting by Michael HoldenEditing by Gareth Jones and Andrei Khalip)
