Exiled Hong Kong Activist Warns of China’s Transnational Repression
Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Simon Cheng says China's campaign of transnational repression extends far beyond its borders, affecting activists and their families even after they have sought refuge overseas. Cheng now lives in the United Kingdom and is the founder of Hong Kongers in Britain.
China’s Transnational Repression
Simon Cheng: I Experienced Torture, Lifelong Trauma, Threats
REPORTER:
There has been growing concern that China's new ethnic unity law could be used to extend its reach abroad. You've been detained. You have a $1 million bounty on your head. Could you walk us through your experience?
Simon Cheng (FOUNDER, HONG KONGERS IN BRITAIN):
In 2019, I served my roles in the British Consulate. I was on a business trip to mainland China, but also as a personal citizens of Hong Kong. I care about the human rights. I hope that my city going to be more with freedom and more dignity of our people. Have a have a right to vote. So naturally, I just feel as a duty of my private citizens as a hongkonger to join the protest at that time.
But unfortunately, I'm on the radar of the police. So that's why during the trip, I actually been detained. When I've been detained, I've been questioned lots of questions about politics, why I've been joining the protests, etc. but most horrible thing is I experienced torture. So I've been forced to confess, which is the crime I never, ever committed. And because of that, I've been released after 15 days, but actually traumatized for the rest of my life.
Because of that, I actually have no way back.
When I've been released, that's the actually warn me if I speak out to the media, even I'm in Hong Kong, even before national security law is imposed, I will be taken back to mainland China. And that wouldn't be just 15 days. It would be even endless period.
REPORTER:
You were one of the first Hong Kongers to be granted political asylum by the United Kingdom following the 2019 protest movement. Since then, how have you and your organization been targeted by Chinese authorities or those acting on Beijing's behalf?
Simon Cheng (FOUNDER, HONG KONGERS IN BRITAIN):
When the police forces are held a very high profile press conference and put me on the bounty and saying, they will hunt me down for the rest of my life. It is a very dire message. It's like a fear being sent out to our community, not only those people staying in Hong Kong, but even overseas. They try best to isolate us. That's their purpose.
To me personally, myself, from time to time, I felt being followed, I put under surveillance. Uh, and even recently, if I run for the election campaign, I also received some, uh, some letters or emails that trying to stigmatize me and trying to single me out and trying to damage my rights to, to stand for the election. So there's lots of stuff. Even my members in the community, their families are being questioned. Uh, then they feel some pressures and also they feel they would lose some opportunities of study doing business.
REPORTER:
It's been 29 years since the handover of Hong Kong from the UK to China, and Beijing has steadily strengthened its grip. What lessons do you think Taiwan can draw from Hong Kong's experience and how Beijing could approach cross-strait relations?
Simon Cheng (FOUNDER, HONG KONGERS IN BRITAIN):
I think this is a really dire message, that we learn it from a very bloody lesson that we spent decades after decades on the street, trying to try and exhaust all the means within the system to protect our own freedoms, being protected by supposedly good basic law, the Constitution. But even now, not only just the third democracy, we can't fight for, even our own certain freedoms have been taken away bit by bit, and now suddenly all gone. This is a lesson to Taiwanese people never trust CCP as autocracy based on nothing.
I know that some of the parties in Taiwan, that they still believe peaceful negotiation or, or some agreement that they would believe CCP will respect that, which is not the case.
