The government is today being urged to withdraw a near-£40,000 grant to a UK charity, amid fears it has close ties to the Chinese Communist Party.
An open letter, signed by 29 organisations that support people from Hong Kong who have sought refuge in the UK, accuses the leadership of Wai Lin Society of having an “unusually close relationship” with the CCP and its “apparatus in the UK”.
The groups fear the £39,990 grant, from the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, will give the charity access to “personal information” about members of the Hong Kong diaspora – and that it “might fall into the wrong hands”.
Wai Lin Society denied the claims, saying it operated “independently of any political party or religious organisation, bringing together various resources to seek a better society”.
It added: “In pursuit of social progress and maintaining political and religious neutrality, we are willing to collaborate with numerous partner organisations and stakeholders across different sectors (including government agencies, businesses, academia, etc) and volunteers to provide appropriate services to different communities in Greater Manchester, with an open-door policy for everyone.”
A spokesperson for DLUHC, which made the grant as part of a £3m package supporting the British National (Overseas) immigration route, said it would look into the claims made in the open letter.
They said: “We continually assess potential threats in the UK and take protection of individuals’ rights, freedoms and safety in the UK very seriously.
“Any attempt by any foreign power to intimidate, harass or harm individuals or communities in the UK via third parties will not be tolerated.
“We recognise the importance of building trust with the community, which is why the organisations we fund through the Welcome Programme have to go through a thorough application process.”
The 29 signatories to the UK-based Hong Kong Diaspora and Ally Organisations’ open letter include Britons in Hong Kong, Hong Kong Aid, Democracy for Hong Kong, Birmingham Hongkongers, Hongkongers in Northern Ireland and Scottish Hongkongers.
It says: “According to publicly available information, in 2021 Mrs Juanita Yau, the chair of Wai Yin Society, participated in an event celebrating the CCP’s 100th anniversary, hosted by the Consulate General of China in Manchester.
“Numerous pieces of evidence suggest an unusually close relationship between key members of Wai Yin Society’s leadership within the CCP and its apparatus in the UK, such as the Confucius Institutes.”
It adds: “We are aware that Wai Yin Society has stated that the organisation maintains ‘political neutrality’ by virtue of its status as a charity. Unfortunately, Wai Yin Society’s claim of political neutrality is utterly unconvincing in light of its top leaders’ close ties to the CCP.
“The past activities of the leaders of Wai Yin Society in relation to the CCP outweigh a mere charity status.”
Finn Lau, a Hong Kong human rights advocate, tweeted: “How could Wai Yin Society claim to maintain ‘neutrality’ under such circumstances? The UK govt should investigate shortly and diligently and consider the possibility of withdrawing any misallocated BN(O) Welcome funds over security concerns.”