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The Chinese Embassy in the UK released a statement on Sunday, urging the UK side to stop the anti-China political manipulation, stop wantonly arresting and convicting Chinese citizens in the UK. 

The statement stated that on May 8, Chinese Ambassador to the UK Zheng Zeguang requested a meeting with an official from the British Foreign Office, during which he made further representations with the UK side on the so-called verdict by a UK court on two Chinese citizens, including an employee of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London. He also refuted the unfounded accusations of the UK side and urged the UK side to correct its mistake, stop the anti-China political manipulation, stop wantonly arresting and convicting Chinese citizens in the UK, and stop emboldening anti-China elements, the Chinese Embassy in the UK said in the statement. 

Zheng pointed out that the UK side used trumped-up crimes to arrest and indict Chinese citizens in the UK. The so-called convictions were the outcome of abusing the law and manipulating the judicial process by the UK side. It is nothing but a political farce. Its sole purpose is to embolden anti-China elements who are hiding in the UK and are bent on destabilizing Hong Kong, and to smear the Chinese central government and the Hong Kong SAR government. We are strongly against it and deplore such an act, the Embassy's statement said.

After several UK media outlets claimed that two men in the UK were found guilty on charges of "spying for China," China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Chinese Embassy in the UK refuted the claims one after another on Friday and Thursday. 

Some British media, including the Guardian, Sky News and Reuters, reported on Thursday local time that Chi Leung "Peter" Wai and Chung Biu "Bill" Yuen were found guilty at London's Old Bailey court of assisting a foreign intelligence service. 

The Guardian claimed that the conviction makes them the first people in British history to be convicted of spying for China. 

By arresting and suing Chinese nationals in the UK without any factual basis, and securing the conviction by abusing the law and judicial process, the UK is blatantly endorsing those seeking to destabilize Hong Kong. Such groundless accusations and smears against China are nothing but a typical political stunt, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Friday in response to a question on the conviction of two men in the UK on charges of conducting espionage activities for China. 

Zheng stressed that the Chinese government remains steadfast in its determination to deal with anti-China elements bent on destabilizing Hong Kong and in safeguarding the city's stability and prosperity. The UK side harbors wanted criminals, and wantonly arrested and convicted Chinese citizens in the UK. This act disrespects the rule of law, and seriously violates basic norms of international relations. It has gravely undermined China-UK relations. This is totally intolerable to the Chinese side.

The UK side must know that any acts aimed at jeopardizing China's interests will be met with firm countermeasures, the embassy's statement said.

Global Times