US, UK, allies chide China, Hong Kong over Joshua Wong sentencing

The United States, United Kingdom, and their allies have expressed strong disapproval of Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong's 10-year prison sentence imposed under the National Security Law. Allies Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, and New Zealand supported the joint statement released on Friday.

The governments emphasized that the verdict was part of a series of convictions against leaders of the Hong Kong Alliance, targeting individuals for their political expressions and participation. They called for an end to the unjust prosecutions under the NSL and urged China and Hong Kong to honor global commitments and the rights guaranteed by the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration.

China criticized the international community's response, arguing that Joshua Wong was found guilty of collaborating with a foreign country or external elements to endanger national security. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun stated that Wong had no valid grounds to justify his actions and had pleaded guilty. The Chinese government advised countries to respect China's sovereignty, the rule of law in Hong Kong, and to refrain from interfering in Hong Kong's judicial and internal affairs.

At 30 years old, Joshua Wong was already serving a four-year and eight-month prison term for a major national security case when he was charged again in 2025. Alongside fellow activist Nathan Law, Wong was accused of conspiring to collude with foreign forces and seeking measures against China and Hong Kong. Judge William Tam noted that the court should express the community's disgust with the defendant's actions and his collaboration with foreign forces with others, as stated in his ruling.

Joshua Wong Chi-fung and Nathan Law Kwun-chung rose to prominence as teenage student activists during the 2012 anti-national education protests and the 2014 Umbrella Movement. They co-founded the now-defunct political party Demosistō in 2016 to advocate for democratic self-determination and international awareness.