Joshua Wong arrives at a Hong Kong court on December 2, 2020. Photo: VCG

Hong Kong upholds the rule of law. To abide by the law and bring lawbreakers to justice is a basic principle. Wong Chi-fung is guilty of conspiracy to collude with a foreign country or external elements to endanger national security, and the offence has been found to be of a grave nature. In the face of overwhelming facts and evidence, Wong had no grounds to justify his behavior and pleaded guilty, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said at a regular press briefing on Thursday.

Guo made these remarks when asked about a Hong Kong court's sentencing decision in Wong's collusion conspiracy case, as a handful of politicians from the US and other Western countries have repeatedly voiced "concern" over the case.

Wong was sentenced to 10 years in prison by the Hong Kong High Court on Thursday after pleading guilty to a charge of "conspiring to collude with foreign country or with external elements to endanger national security."

Judge William Tam Yiu-ho ruled that the offense was of a grave nature, noting that Wong and another Hong Kong secessionist Nathan Law Kwun-chung had continued their conspiracy to seek foreign sanctions against China and the HKSAR after the implementation of the National Security Law (NSL) for Hong Kong, and severely undermined national security, local media reported. 

The charge stated that between July 1 and November 23, 2020, Wong conspired in Hong Kong with Nathan Law and other unidentified individuals to request a foreign country or an institution, organization or individual outside the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Macao to impose sanctions or a blockade, or engage in other hostile activities against the HKSAR or China. Wong pleaded guilty to the charge at the High Court in September this year.

Under Article 29 of the Hong Kong National Security Law, a person convicted of collusion with foreign forces to endanger national security faces imprisonment of between three and 10 years, while an offense of a grave nature carries a sentence of at least 10 years or life imprisonment. The court's finding placed Wong's case in the more serious sentencing category.

Yet some certain Western bodies allege the lawful ruling is condemnable and call for his "immediate release", according to The Guardian.

The central government of China firmly supports the Hong Kong SAR in safeguarding national security and punishing in accordance with the law acts that endanger national security. Relevant parties need to respect China's sovereignty and the rule of law in Hong Kong SAR, stop making irresponsible remarks on the SAR's judicial process, and stop interfering in Hong Kong's judicial affairs and China's internal affairs in any form, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo said on Thursday.

The court adopted a starting point of 13 years in prison before reducing the sentence to 10 years after considering Wong's guilty plea and positive rehabilitation progress, which was consistent with the principle of proportionality between crime and punishment, Willy Fu Kin-chi, a law professor who is also the director of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong & Macao Studies, told the Global Times. 

Fu noted that Hong Kong is a society governed by the rule of law, where offenders must be held accountable, and that the court's punishment of acts endangering national security was lawful and justified.

A spokesperson for the Office for Safeguarding National Security of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR on Thursday also expressed firm support for the court's sentencing decision in Wong's case, noting that the ruling was a strong defense of the authority and dignity of Hong Kong's national security rule of law and a concrete demonstration of its effectiveness.

Wong, an infamous secessionist who used to frequently visit other countries and regions to push for the passage of some Hong Kong-related bills and lobby for American sanctions against China, had already been sentenced in December 2020 on two charges related to the siege of the Hong Kong police headquarters in June 2019. He was widely considered a major disruptor of the political system before the National Security Law for Hong Kong and the electoral reform took effect.

In June 2025, Wong was arrested by the Hong Kong Police Force's national security department for "conspiracy to collude with a foreign country or with external elements to endanger national security," according to an official statement on the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government's website. Wong was previously sentenced to four years and eight months in prison on November 19, 2024, for "conspiring to subvert state power."

Chu Kar-kin, a veteran commentator based in the HKSAR and member of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies, told the Global Times those offenses under the National Security Law had grave consequences. Joshua Wong would pay the price for his crimes. He would spend some of the prime years of his life in prison, severely damaging his future, Chu said.

Chu said Wong should feel remorse for allowing himself to be manipulated by foreign forces. Chu said the case set an important precedent under the national security law and warned others against activities that endanger national security. 

Fu noted that Wong should reflect on his wrongdoing, learn from his time in the penitentiary and refuse to be used by foreign forces. The expert also urged national security fugitives wanted by Hong Kong authorities to return and surrender, warning young people against being manipulated into activities that could jeopardize their future.