He was among five people in the semi-autonomous Chinese city who planned to enter the US mission, according to UK-based activist group Friends of Hong Kong.
Police said two men and one woman — between 17 and 21 years old — were arrested Tuesday in relation to allegedly secessionist comments on social media. Studentlocalism, a onetime pro-independence group, identified the three on Facebook as its former convenor Tony Chung, and former members William Chan and Yanni Ho.
On Thursday, a police spokesman said Chung had been charged with “secession,” conspiracy “to publish seditious publications” and money laundering.
Friends of Hong Kong, which said it had been working with Chung, said he had been planning to claim asylum at the US consulate to Hong Kong prior to his arrest. A spokesman for the group added that four other activists did enter the mission Tuesday, but “were asked firmly by consulate staff to leave.”
One of those who entered the consulate is a US citizen, the spokesman said, adding that person was “furious about his treatment from his home country and certainly believes that the US Consulate is able to provide more assistance to a US citizen involved in advocating for democracy in Hong Kong.”
A US State Department spokesperson said they would not comment on the matter “due to privacy considerations,” but added that “asylum can only be requested upon arrival in the United States.”
Secession charges
The Hong Kong branch of the organization said it had disbanded soon after the national security law was imposed on the city by Chinese authorities, banning secession, subversion and collusion with foreign forces.
Police accused Chung and others still based in Hong Kong of continuing to advocate for the city’s independence from China, a crime that carries with it a sentence of three to 10 years, or up to life imprisonment for offenses of a “grave nature.” The accused denied having any connection to the allegedly secessionist posts in question.
A Hong Kong government spokesman told CNN on Wednesday that it would not comment on media reports of the arrests but said there would be “no justification for any so-called ‘political asylum’ for people in Hong Kong.”
“It should be stressed that people in Hong Kong are prosecuted for acts in contravention with the laws of Hong Kong, regardless of their political beliefs or backgrounds. Moreover, trials are conducted by an independent judiciary in accordance with the principle of the rule of law,” he added.
Asylum claims
Providing refuge to activists within Hong Kong itself would be a major escalation however, and could cause a diplomatic firestorm for both Washington and Beijing, potentially imperiling the future of the Hong Kong consulate itself.
CNN has reached out to the US Consulate General in Hong Kong and the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office for comment.
The circumstances around Tang’s surrender remain unclear, but it may have been prompted by fears the US could have moved to close the San Francisco consulate if she had continued to shelter inside. Similar concerns could make US officials shy away from granting any refuge to dissidents in Hong Kong, the most important US mission in greater China after the Beijing embassy.
During the consulate stand off earlier this year, some Chinese state media publications called for the Hong Kong consulate to be closed, accusing the US of running influence operations out of it. While Beijing appears to have shied away from any greater escalation for now, losing the Hong Kong mission would be a major blow for Washington, both diplomatically and practically, given the economic importance of Hong Kong and the number of Americans who live in the city.