Hong Kong: The A-level student who became an enemy of the Chinese state

A year ago, Zhang was still preparing for her A-level exams. Now, she finds herself on a list of wanted dissidents by the Chinese government. This former choir member, now a democracy activist, learned last December that Hong Kong police had issued a bounty of HK$1 million (approximately US$100,000 or £105,000) for information about her whereabouts overseas.

"I originally just wanted to take a gap year after graduation," Zhang, 19, who now lives in London, told the BBC, "and instead I got a wanted notice!" Zhang is the youngest of 19 activists accused of violating the National Security Law. This law was enacted by Beijing five years ago in response to large-scale pro-democracy protests in the former British colony of Hong Kong.

In 2021, she and her family moved to the UK through a special visa program for Hong Kong residents. She may never be able to return to her homeland and says she must choose her travel destinations carefully. Her activism has made her a fugitive from the Chinese government. This detail struck me when we met in a cafe in the basement of Westminster Abbey, a church that once offered sanctuary from arrest in medieval England.

Hong Kong officials issued the arrest warrant for Zhang on Christmas Eve, using what appeared to be the only file photo they had of her – a picture of her at age 11. "At first I was terrified," she said, but then she made a public response. "I don't want the government to think I'm scared. Because if Hong Kongers in Hong Kong can no longer speak for themselves, then those of us who are outside the city – who can speak freely and without fear – we must speak for them."

Zhang participated in the early protests of the 2019 Hong Kong demonstrations along with her classmates. The protesters were largely opposing a bill seen as expanding China's control over Hong Kong, which had enjoyed semi-autonomy since Britain handed it back to China in 1997. "Politics had never been in my life before... so I went to the first protest out of curiosity," she said. She saw police firing tear gas at demonstrators and a police officer stepping on a protester's neck. "I was so shocked," she said. "That moment actually changed the way I saw the world."

Growing up in a city that belonged to China but retained many freedoms – she thought Hong Kongers could talk about "the things we like and dislike" and "could decide the future of Hong Kong." But the authorities' violent crackdown made her realize that this was not the case. She began attending protests, initially without telling her parents. "I didn't tell them at the time because they didn't care [about politics]," she said. But when things started to get "really crazy," she convinced her parents to go with her.

During a march, police fired tear gas at them, and they had to flee into the subway. Her parents got a "real experience" instead of the version they saw on TV blaming the protesters. After months of demonstrations, Beijing passed the National Security Law in 2020. Suddenly, most of the freedoms that set Hong Kong apart from mainland China – freedom of speech, the right to political assembly – disappeared.

Hong Kong's symbols of democracy, including statues and independent newspapers, were dismantled, closed down, or erased. Those who publicly criticized the government – from teachers to millionaire tycoons like British citizen Jimmy Lai – faced trial and eventual imprisonment. In response to the crackdown, the UK opened its doors to Hong Kongers under a new scheme – the British National (Overseas) visa. Zhang's family was among the first to accept the offer, settling in Leeds, where they found the cheapest Airbnb they could find. Zhang had to take her GCSE exams mid-term and during the pandemic lockdown.

At first, she felt isolated. She said it was hard to make friends and that she had difficulty speaking English. There were hardly any other Hong Kongers around. Unable to afford the international student fees of over £20,000 a year, she found a job at Hong Kong Liberty, a pro-democracy NGO. When China began issuing bounties for wanted dissidents in 2023, they targeted prominent protest leaders and opposition politicians. Zhang, who was still finishing her A-levels at the time, thought she was too insignificant to ever be a target.

Her inclusion highlights Beijing's determination to pursue activists overseas. She says the bounty puts her in danger and encourages third parties to report her actions in the UK. According to a report this week, China has been the leading country attempting to suppress exiled dissidents around the world over the past decade. Another Hong Kong dissident who reported being attacked in London blamed actors linked to the Chinese government for the attack. Last May, British police charged three men with collecting intelligence for Hong Kong and breaking into a home. One of the men was found dead in unexplained circumstances shortly after.

"They're only interested in Hong Kongers because they want to scare other people," Zhang said. She said that most people who have moved over in recent years have remained silent, partly because they still have family in Hong Kong. "Most BNO visa holders tell me this, because they don't want to take the risk," she said. "It's sad, but we can't blame them."

On the day her arrest warrant was announced, Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the UK would not tolerate "foreign governments attempting to coerce, intimidate, harass or harm their critics overseas." He added that the government is committed to supporting Hong Kongers in the UK. But Zhang says more needs to be done, and she spent the first few weeks of this year lobbying in Westminster. In the past two weeks, she has met with Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Shadow Foreign Secretary Patel at Lunar New Year events in Downing Street, the latter of whom later tweeted: "We must never give way to any transnational repression on UK soil."

But she worries that Britain's recent overtures to China may mean less protection for Hong Kongers. "We just don't know what's going to happen and whether they're going to protect us if the UK government really wants to protect their trade relationship with China." Does she feel scared on the streets of London? It's not as bad as what political activists face back home. "When I think about what [they] are facing... being wanted overseas is actually not a big deal."