Hong Kong’s John Lee warns foreign nations against hurting own interests by targeting trade offices
- British police earlier arrested Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office senior staff member and two others over allegations of spying for city
- John Lee also says he has no memory of meeting Hong Kong public officer during time in police, as picture of pair at ceremony in 2002 goes viral
Hong Kong’s leader has warned any attempts by foreign countries to interfere in the work of its overseas economic offices will harm their own interests given the city’s trade surpluses, after a local public officer in the UK was charged with spying.
British police earlier arrested Bill Yuen Chung-biu, an office manager at the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London, and two others on suspicion of assisting a foreign intelligence service and foreign interference between December 2023 and May of this year. They were granted bail after being charged and will next appear in court on May 24.
Yuen and Lee were among eight police officers photographed at the ceremony held in Hong Kong to celebrate finishing a self-learning course run by Australia’s Charles Sturt University.
Lee left the force in 2012 to serve as undersecretary for security under then leader Leung Chun-ying’s administration.
