Key facts
- Hong Kong's government said the 10 countries distorted facts and smeared the city's national security law.
- The joint statement was issued by the US, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand and the UK.
- The statement said Wong's sentencing, with earlier jailing of many others, showed how the national security law operates.
- Wong was sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiring to collude with foreign forces.
Hong Kong's government pushed back on November 7, 2026 against a joint statement from 10 countries over the sentencing of opposition activist Joshua Wong Chi-fung, accusing the signatories of distorting facts and smearing the city's national security law.
The joint statement came from the US, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand and the UK, and was issued on Friday, November 6. It said the sentencing of Wong, together with the earlier jailing of many others, showed how the city's national security law operates.
The rebuttal followed a Hong Kong court's decision to sentence Wong to 10 years in prison on Thursday, November 5, after he pleaded guilty to conspiring to collude with foreign forces.