September 9, 2026 — Washington, D.C.
Veteran Chinese democracy advocate Wang Xizhe has publicly declared that he is traveling toward Hong Kong in a deliberate challenge to political prosecution. Wang says he intends to present himself to Hong Kong authorities following the conviction of Lee Cheuk-yan.
The trip comes after Beijing imposed the National Security Law on Hong Kong in 2020 and amid prosecutions of prominent democracy advocates including Jimmy Lai, Joshua Wong, Chow Hang-tung, Lee Cheuk-yan and Albert Ho. On August 21, 2026, Hong Kong’s High Court convicted Lee and Chow of inciting subversion; Ho had earlier pleaded guilty in the same case.
For the Free China Movement, the episode has a painful historical parallel. Wang Xizhe served in the founding-era leadership of the Free China Movement in 1998. Dr. Wang Bingzhang, another founding FCM leader, disappeared during a 2002 trip to Vietnam. FCM said at the time that it believed Chinese agents abducted him inside Vietnam and forced him into China. He was later tried behind closed doors in Shenzhen and sentenced to life imprisonment on espionage and terrorism charges that FCM publicly described as trumped up.
Lian Shengde, co-founder of the Free China Movement, said:
I call on the international community, democratic governments, human-rights organizations and the global media to watch closely how Hong Kong authorities handle Wang Xizhe’s case. His safety must be protected. The world should make clear, through sustained international scrutiny and pressure, that he must not be subjected to secret detention, disappearance, coercion or political retaliation for peacefully challenging the erosion of Hong Kong’s freedoms. What happens to Wang Xizhe will be a test of how far Hong Kong’s promised autonomy and rule of law have deteriorated.
We remember what happened to Wang Bingzhang. We cannot wait until another Chinese democracy advocate disappears into custody before the world begins asking questions. Wang Xizhe is making his protest openly. The response of the Hong Kong authorities must therefore also be visible to the world.
As of publication, FCM has not independently confirmed whether Wang Xizhe has been admitted to Hong Kong, detained, questioned, removed, or remains in transit. That uncertainty is precisely why immediate public scrutiny matters.
Sources
Wang Xizhe public statement: https://beijingspring.com/phon/archives/11599
Hong Kong Government verdict: https://www.news.gov.hk/chi/2026/08/20260821/20260821_130443_331.html
Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, Wang Bingzhang: https://humanrightscommission.house.gov/DFP/Countries/China/Wang-Bingzhang