Chloe Cheung speaks about living with a Chinese bounty on her
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A 20 year old from Hong Kong with a ￡100,000 bounty on her head has accused “short-sighted” Labour of “sacrificing Britain’s democracy” over China’s proposed mega-embassy. Chloe Cheung has been named a "wanted person" by Hong Kong police, who issued a $HK1 million reward for information leading to her capture abroad.
In December, then aged 19, she became the youngest of 19 activists accused of breaching a national security law introduced by Beijing in response to huge pro-democracy protests in the former British colony five years ago. She added to the warning that Beijing's plans for a sprawling new embassy in London - near the capital’s financial district - could pose an espionage risk.
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Writing in the Express, Chloe said: “The Labour Party describes its approach to China as “compete, cooperate, and challenge.” On paper, that sounds reasonable. But in practice, where is the “challenge"? Raising human rights concerns behind closed doors is not sufficient. “Take, for example, China’s proposal to build a mega-embassy in central London. This site would include over 200 residential units, giving diplomatic immunity to an unusually large number of staff. Intelligence officials, local residents, and activists have raised concerns that the embassy could be used as a surveillance hub. And yet, the proposal has been taken out of the hands of the local council and backed by government ministers."
Read more: China redacts London 'mega-embassy' blueprints in 'spy dungeon' fears
Chloe Cheung issues warning to Labour over relationship with China (Image: Jonathan Buckmaster, Daily Express)
Chloe, who now works with the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation, said: “The embassy is emblematic of a short-sighted Labour government set on sacrificing Britain’s democracy and security for the promise of economic gain. This is not the Britain I recognise. If we truly want to uphold democracy, we cannot treat authoritarian regimes like China as partners.”
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner this week gave China two weeks to explain why parts of its plans for the mega-embassy have been blanked out.
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Several rooms on planning documents submitted to Tower Hamlets council, including the basement area, have been marked "redacted for security reasons".
Rayner, who is set to decide on the fate of the project early next month, has requested a response from Beijing by 20 August.
A spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in the UK said they had "taken into full consideration the UK's planning policy and guidance as well as views of all relevant parties" when they submitted the application.
"The Chinese Embassy in the UK is committed to promoting understanding and the friendship between the two peoples and the development of mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries," the spokesman told the BBC.
He added: "Building the new embassy would help us better perform such responsibilities."
China bought the site of the proposed new embassy, at old Royal Mint Court near the Tower of London, for ￡255million in 2018.
At 20,000 square metres, the complex would be the biggest embassy in Europe if it goes ahead.
Chloe Cheung said "this is not the Britain I recognise" (Image: Jonathan Buckmaster, Daily Express)
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There are concerns that the site could allow China to infiltrate the UK's financial system by tapping into nearby fibre optic cables carrying sensitive data for firms in the City of London.
Pro-democracy campaigners from Hong Kong also fear Beijing could use the huge embassy to harass political opponents and even detain them.
And residents nearby also fear it would pose a security risk to them and attract large protests.
China's application to turn the site into a new embassy has previously been rejected by Tower Hamlets’ local council but Ms Rayner is now set to make the final decision by September 9 after taking control of the process last year.
Political ties with China deteriorated under former Conservative Prime Ministers Boris Johnson, Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss. The last UK prime minister to visit China was Theresa May, in 2018.
But the relationship changed last year when a closed-door meeting between Sir Keir and Chinese President Xi was held in Brazil in November.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves in January went on to co-chair the first UK-China economic summit since 2019, in Beijing.
Ms Reeves said re-engagement with China could boost the UK economy by ￡1billion, with agreements worth ￡600million to the UK over the next five years.
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A joint statement from Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper previously said: “The UK strongly opposes the National Security Law, which has eroded the rights and freedoms of Hong Kongers. We call on the Chinese and Hong Kong authorities to end the deliberate targeting of opposition voices in the UK and elsewhere.”
The Government insisted it takes the protection of Hong Kongers' rights, freedoms and safety very seriously.
It will not tolerate any attempts by China to coerce, intimidate, harass or harm their critics overseas.
Chloe Cheung: 'I have to look over my shoulder every day'
Chloe Cheung has described how she looks over her shoulder every day since being added to a Chinese government list of wanted dissidents.
The choir girl-turned-democracy activist, 20, also told how she has lost friends and battled to trust people since her ￡100,000 bounty was announced in December.
She said: “I am scared with a ￡100,00 bounty on my head because it’s not a small number. It’s an encouragement for people to kidnap me at the Chinese embassy.”
Chloe, 20, described how neighbours of other pro-democracy protesters in the UK from Hong Kong, also wanted for capture, received letters urging them to cash in on the reward by hauling in the activists.
She added: “I thought that when I left Hong Kong, the UK could be a safe space for me to speak out for my values, to speak out against the Chinese Communist Party that is so far away but the long arm of the Chinese government is in the UK and started to repress on us here in the UK which shouldn’t be happening. This is a democratic country. Why are we being oppressed by a government that is far, far away. I think the UK Government is not doing their best to protest us and to hold these aggressors accountable.”
The police and Home Office should offer more support for transnational repression victims, she said.
These are when individuals are targeted directly by foreign states.
Chloe said: “I bring self protection devices with me every day because I need to protect myself. I have to do my best to check if there’s anyone following me. I have to look over my shoulder every day. I need to change my routine every day in order to not have a pattern. It’s really disturbing. I think it shouldn’t be happening here in the UK.”
In 2021, she and her family moved to the UK under a special visa scheme for Hong Kongers.
Chloe can probably never return to her home city and says she has to be careful about where she travels.
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