Taiwanese, Belizean arrested in China for supporting Hong Kong protests
- Lee Meng-chu charged with illegally providing national secrets and spying for foreign forces
- Belize passport holder arrested on charges of funding ‘anti-China’ organisations in US
Chinese authorities have confirmed the arrest of two overseas passport holders for their roles in supporting Hong Kong protests, mainland media reported on Saturday.
“Lee Meng-chu is a core member of a Taiwan independence organisation, who went to Hong Kong in August to engage in activities against China and cause chaos in Hong Kong, and sneaked into the mainland to spy for military secrets,” the report said.
Chinese authorities previously said they were investigating Lee for “activities that endanger state security”. He went missing after entering Hong Kong and was believed to have crossed the border into Shenzhen in August. He reportedly distributed images of mainland troops massing equipment near Hong Kong, which has seen months of violent protests triggered by the now-withdrawn extradition bill that would have enabled the transfer of criminal suspects to the mainland.
Meanwhile, a Belizean named Lee Henley Hu Xiang was also arrested by the Guangzhou National Security Commission on November 26 on charges of funding criminal activities that harmed national security.
According to the authorities, Lee Henley Hu Xiang had been living in China as a businessman and was providing funding for anti-China organisations in the US “for a long period of time”, helping organisations and individuals harm Chinese national security. He was accused of supporting forces that engage in activities against China and causing chaos in Hong Kong, as well as colluding with foreign forces to meddle with Hong Kong affairs.