RismadarVoice Reporters, September 2, 2026
Prominent Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong has pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiring to collude with foreign forces under the territory’s national security law.
Wong, 29, entered the guilty plea on Wednesday in what is his second prosecution under the Beijing-imposed security legislation, which was introduced in Hong Kong in 2020 following mass anti-government protests.
He is expected to be sentenced at a later date. The offence carries a prison term of between three and 10 years, while cases considered to be of a grave nature can attract a life sentence. A guilty plea could lead to a reduced sentence.
Wong is already serving a four-year-and-eight-month prison term after pleading guilty in a separate national security case connected to an unofficial political primary. He was arrested in June 2025 over the foreign-collusion allegations, after previously being expected to regain his freedom in January.
Prosecutors accused Wong of conspiring with fellow activist Nathan Law and others to persuade foreign governments, organisations and individuals to impose sanctions, blockades or other hostile measures against Hong Kong or China between July 1 and November 23, 2020.
According to the prosecution, Wong supported overseas efforts by sharing Law’s online campaigns and petitions through social media while remaining in Hong Kong. The prosecution said some of those efforts targeted foreign companies over their cooperation with Hong Kong authorities.
Prosecutors also alleged that Wong and Law had agreed years earlier to seek international pressure in support of democratic self-determination for Hong Kong.
After the national security law came into effect, Law and other activists who had left Hong Kong continued their campaign abroad by meeting foreign politicians and organising petitions. Prosecutors said Wong helped draw international attention to those efforts through social media and foreign media.
The prosecution further alleged that Wong had written to foreign companies warning them about cooperation with the Chinese government and had claimed in a work report that he helped persuade a company to stop supplying forensic software to Hong Kong police.
Wong appeared in court wearing a blue shirt and looked thinner than during previous public appearances. A supporter called out words of encouragement to him before the hearing.
His friend, Louis Lee, said Wong had spent his time in prison reading, studying, exercising and learning to play the guitar.
Wong first gained international attention as a teenager in 2012 when he led protests against plans to introduce national education in Hong Kong schools. He later became one of the prominent student leaders of the 2014 Occupy Movement.
In 2016, Wong co-founded the political party Demosisto with other young activists, including Law. The party was dissolved in 2020 following the introduction of the national security law.
Wong also played a role in the 2019 pro-democracy protests, including efforts to secure international support for the movement. Beijing accused him of seeking foreign interference in Hong Kong affairs.
Several other prominent activists have also been prosecuted or jailed under the security law, while others have left Hong Kong for countries including the United States and the United Kingdom.
Hong Kong authorities have separately announced rewards of one million Hong Kong dollars for information leading to the arrest of Law and other activists living overseas.
Critics of the national security law say Wong’s prosecution reflects a wider crackdown on political dissent and civic activism in Hong Kong. Chinese authorities, however, have portrayed Wong as an anti-China activist and maintain that the security legislation is necessary to protect national security and stability.
