The Chinese embassy in London has accused British politicians of offering protection to fugitives after Hong Kong offered bounties of HK$1m for the arrest of eight overseas democracy activists. In a statement, the embassy said this was 'crude interference in Hong Kong’s rule of law and China’s internal affairs'.
Hong Kong leader John Lee urged the activists to surrender, saying they would be 'pursued for life' and that authorities would continue to monitor their actions overseas. The eight are accused of offences including foreign collusion and incitement to secession under Hong Kong’s national security law, which grants extraterritorial powers.
UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly responded by saying London would 'not tolerate any attempts by China to intimidate and silence individuals in the UK and overseas'. At least three of the targeted activists are based in Britain, with others in the US and Australia.
One of those targeted, Nathan Law, who was granted asylum in the UK, told the BBC he would need to be more vigilant, fearing that someone might provide information on his whereabouts. Another activist, Kevin Yam, an Australian-based lawyer, vowed not to be silenced, saying he owed it to jailed colleagues to speak out.
The US State Department described the bounties as setting a dangerous precedent, while a consortium of Hong Kong groups alleged that a UK government fund for welcoming Hong Kong arrivals was inadvertently directing money to groups with links to the Chinese Communist party.
