Teen among 4 arrested for subversion in Hong Kong
Beijing imposed a national security law on Hong Kong in 2020, after sometimes-violent democracy protests the year before.
The new law criminalised four categories of offences: secession, subversion, terrorism and foreign collusion, making the offences punishable with up to life in prison.
Chief Superintendent Steve Li said four males aged between 15 and 47 were arrested on Wednesday for "conspiracy to subvert state power". Chief Superintendent Steve Li Kwai-wah of the force's National Security Department speaks during a press conference in Hong Kong, China on Jul 10, 2025. (Photo: REUTERS/Tyrone Siu)
They played various roles in a group established in Taiwan in November that later called for the overthrow of the Chinese Communist Party, Li said.
"They said they would seek international support and provide military training to Hongkongers abroad," Li told reporters.
A Facebook page matching the Chinese name of the group identified by police had fewer than 70 followers.
Police also displayed flags seized during Wednesday's operation, including one of Tibet and one bearing a slogan outlawed by Hong Kong authorities.
The four people remained in custody on Thursday.
Hong Kong enacted a separate national security law of its own last year, which officials said was needed to restore order.
As of Jul 1, authorities had arrested 333 people for various national security crimes, with 165 of them convicted.
Beijing's top official overseeing Hong Kong, Xia Baolong, said last month the city must remain on guard for national security threats and "soft resistance". Hong Kong
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNA
2 hours ago
- CNA
China foreign minister Wang Yi slams South China Sea ruling as ‘farce' at regional meeting
KUALA LUMPUR: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi restated Beijing's rejection of the 2016 South China Sea arbitration ruling on Friday (Jul 11), on the eve of the ruling's ninth anniversary, amid renewed tensions and growing speculation about a potential second legal challenge. Calling the decision a 'farce', Wang said the case, brought by the Philippines against China 's South China Sea claims and ruled on by a tribunal of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, was 'orchestrated and manipulated by external powers'. Their purpose 'was to destabilise the South China Sea for their own benefit', Wang said during the annual East Asian Summit foreign ministers' meeting in Kuala Lumpur. He said China works to maintain stability in the region and has been speeding up the negotiation of a binding South China Sea code of conduct with Asean. 'All attempts to stir up trouble or sow discord will ultimately fail,' he added at the meeting attended by top diplomats of 18 countries, including the 10 ASEAN member states and the United States. The Philippines filed the case with the court in 2013, but Beijing refused to participate. The court, in China's absence, ruled on Jul 12, 2016, in support of most of the Philippines' submissions, including its contention that China's extensive claim via the 'nine-dash line' appearing on Chinese maps since 1953 was invalid under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Additionally, the court ruled that China's land reclamation projects in the area were environmentally harmful. The ruling also held that no land features in the disputed Spratly Islands could be classified as 'islands', meaning that China could not claim exclusive economic zones around the reefs it occupies, while the Philippines could extend its zone from its coastline to include those reefs. Despite having signed UNCLOS in 1982 and ratified it in 1996, China strongly rejected the ruling and improved ties with former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte by 'putting aside' the ruling during his 2016-2022 term. However, tension has escalated since the current Philippine president, Ferdinand Marcos Jnr, took office. It has been reported that Manila is considering filing a new UN arbitration regarding the maritime conflicts. In his remarks on Friday, Wang repeated China's declaration of 'four noes' in the case – no acceptance, no participation, no recognition and no implementation. He contended that the case addressed the issues of territorial sovereignty and maritime delimitation, which exceed the jurisdiction of both UNCLOS and the arbitration tribunal's authority. China and other major world powers, he said, had excluded maritime delimitation when they joined the convention. 'The tribunal's handling constituted an overreach, abusing the convention's dispute resolution mechanism and undermining international maritime rule of law. They are violating the convention under the banner of the convention,' Wang said. He added that the Philippines did not seek prior consultations with China before filing to the tribunal, and that therefore the initiation of the arbitration was legally flawed. He also accused Manila of breaking its commitment to the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China calls for South China Sea disputes to be solved through dialogue, as well as its bilateral promises to Beijing. Wang also condemned the tribunal's 'flawed and erroneous' decision to classify the Taiping Island (Itu Aba) of the Spratlys – a 0.5-square-kilometre island with fresh water and vegetation occupied by Taiwan – as a 'rock' that could not sustain an exclusive economic zone. 'If this standard were applied globally, the international maritime order would be rewritten, potentially depriving many nations ... of their maritime rights,' he said, referring to how the reefs of countries like the US and Japan would similarly lose their basis for claiming maritime rights and interests. "Would these countries be willing to give up their claims as well?" Besides the Philippines, three other ASEAN members – Malaysia, Brunei and Vietnam – have competing claims with China in the South China Sea. Beijing sees the self-governed island of Taiwan as a rogue province, to be reunited eventually with the mainland, by force if necessary.
CNA
14 hours ago
- CNA
Singapore needs trusted media that can offer balanced views: PM Wong
Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said Singapore needs trusted media that can offer balanced views. Speaking at The Straits Times' 180th birthday dinner, he added that media that can separate fact from fiction can help navigate a complex world. Mr Wong also said that the government will support the public service media to ensure that quality journalism remains viable, independent and accountable to Singaporeans. Nadirah Zaidi reports.
CNA
14 hours ago
- CNA
Gazprom, CNPC discuss future Russian gas supplies to China
MOSCOW: The heads of Russia's Gazprom and China's energy company CNPC discussed future Russian gas supplies to China during talks in Beijing, Gazprom said on Friday (Jul 11), as Moscow seeks stronger ties with the world's biggest energy consumer. Russia, the holder of world's largest gas reserves, has diverted oil supplies from Europe to India and China since the start of the conflict in Ukraine in February 2022. At the same time, Russia's diversification of pipeline natural gas from the European Union has been slow. It started gas exports to China via the Power of Siberia pipeline in the end of 2019 and plans to reach the pipeline's annual exporting capacity of 38 billion cubic metres this year. Russia and China have also agreed on exports of 10 bcm of gas from Russia's Pacific island of Sakhalin starting from 2027. However, years of talks about the Power of Siberia 2 pipeline, which would ship 50 bcm of gas per year to China via Mongolia, have yet to be concluded as the two sides disagree over issues such as the gas price. Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to travel to China in early September to participate in celebrations marking the anniversary of the victory over Japan in World War II.
