the brother of george floyd, whose death in police custody in minneapolis has ignited anti—racism protests around the world, has called for meaningful changes in american policing. philonise floyd told a congressional hearing his brother's death did not have to be in vain. democrats have introduced legislation on police reforms in congress. authorities in delhi have warned that coronavirus infections in the indian capital could shoot up to more than half a million by the end ofjuly. they say the city will need 80,000 hospital beds by then. delhi's current capacity isjustjust 9,000. russian investigators have detained three managers of the norilsk power plant in siberia on suspicion of breaching environmental protection regulations. it follows the spilling of 20,000 tonnes of diesel oil into local rivers and a lake. environmentalists say it's the worst accident of its kind in post—soviet russia.

now on bbc news, hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk. i am stephen sackur. a year ago, massive pro—democracy demonstrations in hong kong seriously rattled the chinese government. a little later in the summer government. a little later in the summer of 2019, my guest today simon cheng, an employee of the uk consulate in hong kong, was arrested by the chinese authorities. he said he was then interrogated and tortured. now, simon cheng is in london, seeking political asylum and the chinese government is about to impose new, national security laws in hong kong. so, willanything impose new, national security laws in hong kong. so, will anything stop the chinese government imposing its will and its system in hong kong?

simon cheng, welcome to hardtalk. nice to meet you, stephen. you have been through a truly extraordinary year. one year ago you were living a normal life in hong kong. today, we sit together in london, your state is uncertain. what is your current situation here in the uk? well, i have now come to london using the working visa that is a de facto holiday visa and now i'm at applying for political asylum from the home 0ffice for political asylum from the home office and and i will have a result by latejune. office and and i will have a result by late june. in essence, you are in political exile aren't you? yeah,

yeah, you can say that. having look back on everything that happened, do you think that the united kingdom government, who was your employer, you're working for the consulate in hong kong, do you feel that they failed ina hong kong, do you feel that they failed in a duty of care to you? well, i would say that at least apply political asylum. i would like to wait and see whether they will grant me the political asylum. if they do, then i think that will be good for me and essentially i could live here and stay here. sanctuary? that is what you need, is that? yes. because you feel that events just under a year ago, when he travelled ona under a year ago, when he travelled on a business mission for the uk government, to china, what they ended up with you facing a very real and continued threat, in your view, from the chinese government? yes, exactly, i was on a business trip for my department within the british consulate in hong kong and when i

went back to xinjiang and finished the trip and went back to the hong kong west current highway station, i was stalked and delivered back to xinjiang where i experienced torture and political interrogation by the secret police, the state security police. why do you think the chinese authorities detained you and we will discuss treatment of you in a second but why did they detain you? firstly, i think it was because i wa nted firstly, i think it was because i wanted to collect information that i was in the protests in the midst of the anti— extradition bill in hong kong and also i worked for the british consulate and i had been instructed to collect information about the protests. that is the way they wanted to get the information and also they are wanting to blame me and also to prove and to prove

that that the uk instigated the protest. i am already puzzled and i'm thinking that if i was saying the position of a chinese official looking at you, i would be somewhat concerned about your role because your official title is involved in trade and business missions from the uk consulate in hong kong but in fa ct uk consulate in hong kong but in fact you have just told me that you we re fact you have just told me that you were instructed by your diplomatic masters to observe and report upon the democracy demonstrations which of course a very large last summer in hong kong. we use some sort of an undercover spy? not exactly undercover spy? not exactly undercover spy. i mean, undercover spy? not exactly undercoverspy. i mean, iwas undercover spy? not exactly undercover spy. i mean, iwas on undercover spy? not exactly undercover spy. i mean, i was on the frontline. i mean, when i was.... but you were on the front lines to report back to your masters?” but you were on the front lines to report back to your masters? i was not on the frontline because of that, i personally support the pro—democracy movement and i only joined the political rainy and in the meanwhile i was instructed by the meanwhile i was instructed by the consulate that i needed to collect information —— political

rally about those news channels. just typically because of the notion that you are someway spying, you did not declare who you were to either your pro—democracy colleagues on the front line or to any police or authorities that may have tried to intervene. you were there, ostensibly, as a private hong kong citizen but in fact you were there working for the british government. isn't that a slightly odd conflict of interest? indeed, that is slightly odd but.... but of interest? indeed, that is slightly odd but. . .. but you are a spyr slightly odd but. . .. but you are a spy, simon cheng? i mean, i have a few identities, one i work for the consulate that is nothing relevant to politics but meanwhile i am a hong kong citizen. that is a clear guidelines that the consulate saying that you as a hong kong citizen, you have your own right, you are free to join the legal rallies in hong kong. when the british first asked you to

report back to give them information on what you are learning about the pro—democracy demonstrations, did you, at any point, stop forethought and think, hmmm... this could get me into trouble? at that time, no. at that time i do believe there was a great chance for me to keep tag for the british government as to why the protests will go on the street. that is why ijoined because it was meaningful to me. who is is why ijoined because it was meaningfulto me. who is your is why ijoined because it was meaningful to me. who is your first loyalty, the british government or hong kong which is ultimately someone hong kong which is ultimately someone territory of china. he was your loyalty? to the hong kong people because i am a citizen and of course i work for the uk government because i believe in a democratic system and i do believe that it is not to safeguarding the interests of the uk but because it can reinforce the uk but because it can reinforce the people voice for democracy. so,

so the people voice for democracy. so, so to fast forward a little bit, you 110w so to fast forward a little bit, you now tell me that the chinese detained you in xinjiang because they had either filmed you, had some record of you being involved in the pro—democracy protest. the chinese of course are quite clear that you are picked up because you had illegally solicited for sex in xinjiang. at the very least, you violated chinese security administration punishment law. is that true? not true. is said afterwards that you had visited a massage parlour. a massage parlour but nothing else. what they claim andi but nothing else. what they claim and i clearly denied that accusation, especially the accusations through a legal process including torture and coercion. right, because there are videos, a video of your confession, notjust to soliciting prostitution but betrayal of the motherland. why did

you record those videos? well, i think that is for public relations. imean, think that is for public relations. i mean, when i was asked out for doing the enforced confession tapes, i was relieved because i guessed at that time that my situation had been exposed to the news and so had to do something to try to persuade the people that are, i so—called solicited prostitution is, which is not true. if you can see that footage, that is a very decent massage parlour with very decent business certification on the wall and you carefully watch the footage at the end, there are a bunch of family members, including children, and if that country is very careful about the rule of law, they don't have enough evidence to prove anything. you have already listen, you have used the word torture and in previous descriptions of what happened to you, you have used words like that you were shackled,

blindfolded, hoarded and he said your hands were cuffed and you were hungin your hands were cuffed and you were hung ina your hands were cuffed and you were hung in a difficult and uncomfortable position and forced to sit in an uncomfortable position. is there anyway you can prove any of this because of the chinese have denied absolutely that they used any form of physical abuse or force on you. i would that is absolutely lies and nonsense. although i cannot prove that, prove that i have been tortured, but, as i am the first—hand experience, i experienced the torture. i clearly saw the detention centre, the doctors within the detention centre in the first week, and in the first week, they chopped my papers, and i owned the medical papers and if the chinese authority did slightly did a very small investigation, they would

know, they would know that within the detention centre the medical records, if they checked the first week, they would see i already got hurt. you have any marks on your body now? just a bit but they are recovering because one of the prerequisites i had to be let out was because i had to be fully recovered. in the second week, the secret police brought people to help me. to get rid of the bruises and the marks? exactly. you also said that while you are in detention and what you claim suffering a physical abuse, you saw a bunch of other hong kong people getting interrogated. you were aware there were other hong kong people involved in the pro—democracy demonstrations who presumably, like you, had been taken to xinjiang to be interrogated. any proof of that? because that is an extremely inflammatory claim at least viewed from china. stephen, if you ask me to prove that of that

situation, at that situation i was detained, i cannot. did you gather any names 01’ names you detained, i cannot. did you gather any names or names you could follow—up afterwards to see what happened? i'm not allowed to have contact with them because i am being put into solitary confinement but in the past and i saw that bunch of people from the bottom of my heart, i guessed they were hong kong protesters but from two different sources, from the interrogators, and interrogators told me that had been arrested because of the protests in hong kong. as you say, you eventually, after two weeks in detention, you are allowed to leave china andi detention, you are allowed to leave china and i believe you went to taiwan for a couple of months and then you came to the united kingdom, where you are now pursuing your claim for asylum which is they will be settled in just a couple of weeks. have you any contact at all with your family and hong kong? no. you know, early this year, i was

still maintaining contact with my family members in hong kong but afterwards, that was the first time, i received the media in cantonese, in chinese, and after that i cut ties with my family. you many cut ties with my family. you many cut ties with my family. you many cut ties with a permanent basis with them? at least for the security reason, yes, because severalfamily members in mainland china are afraid because i chose to speak out, especially in cantonese and in effect, the chinese audience. do you feel that since this happened to you, the british government has responded with sufficient vigor to the seriousness of your case? you after a ll the seriousness of your case? you after all were an employee of the uk consulate in hong kong when you were detained and according to yourself when you were tortured by the chinese authorities. this happened less tha n chinese authorities. this happened less than one year ago. are you

satisfied with the way the british government responded to your case? well, at least the foreign secretary dominic raabe called the chinese ambassador in the uk and at least the official statement made by the foreign secretary recognise that my treatment and torture, that is quite enough already. because i don't expect too much from the uk government because usually when i worked for the uk government and what i saw, usually a statement to hong kong is very very more direct. in your experience, the uk government, as both an employee and as you say as a private citizen who supports the pro—democracy movement, you feel over a long period that the british government has been, to use your, euphemistic term, very moderate in its dealings with china? yeah, definitely. iwould moderate in its dealings with china? yeah, definitely. i would say for

example because of the british government and those people living in the uk, they are not on the front line to deal with the authoritarianism so that they could naturally, and that was one of the admission and why wanted to inform them that they have to stand with them that they have to stand with the hong kong people. let's bring it up the hong kong people. let's bring it up to the present day because things have become even more sensitive in recent times since you left hong kong, with the chinese government, thanks to the latest decision from the national people's congress, about to impose a raft of national security laws that apply inside china on the mainland, apply them to hong kong as well. that will criminalise people who are said to be advocating separatism, subversion, terrorism, acts of foreign interference, hong kong citizens who are part of the movement believe that national security law will be used to repress all of theirfreedom of

security law will be used to repress all of their freedom of speech. what is your view of what the chinese government is doing now? it's very ha rd to government is doing now? it's very hard to imagine less than a year what i entreat would be applied to all the hong kong people now in hong kong. before, this national—security law that i have been threatened, if i spoke out when i got back to hong kong, i would i spoke out when i got back to hong kong, iwould be i spoke out when i got back to hong kong, i would be secretly abducted from hong kong to mainland china. that happened long before this law. afterwards, the main point is that they legalise their behaviour. it means that they are not secretly doing it, they willjust openly do it, and they have legal grounds to do it. we are in a dark room because we don't know exactly what they will execute, and what is the distinction between mainland china and hong kong, that is what i am so worried

about. you are worried that the chinese government has a very clear message. the director of the hong kong affairs office in beijing says it's quite clear the security laws that have now been applied to hong kong will give the majority there much more freedom and protection, because they will no longer fear violence, they will be able to speak the truth on the street without being beaten up, and they will no longer have to worry about the young people of the territory being brainwashed by people like you. know, totally nonsense. because of course you can check, you can simply check all the statements on the courts on mainland china. does all the people, they just courts on mainland china. does all the people, theyjust leave a critical comment on chinese leadership and chain authority, then, they will be criminalised as making trouble, or provoking quarrels. sure, but hong kong does have its own government, and the

chief of the hong kong government, she says she supports the new national—security law, because she says it will bring an end to chaos. chaos that has badly affected the hong kong economy, so the hong kong government, under the one country two systems edict, the hong kong government itself is supporting the national—security law. government itself is supporting the national-security law. it means they have ruined the two systems already. that introduce the secret police to come to hong kong, they will charge you, titania, torture you, deliver you, titania, torture you, deliver you back to mainland china because what is said, and that is the thing we are worried about, and the chaos they claim is caused by those powerful fears, by the authorities, not by the people. do you really believe that the system of one country believe that the system of one cou ntry two believe that the system of one country two systems and all the basic law that is supposed to guarantee hong kong's special status under chinese sovereignty, you believe all that is now dead, do

you? all that, already. a few years ago, people will say that it was just a pretend it was still a lie when the chinese authorities say that the declaration of independence isa that the declaration of independence is a historical document, that attitude of the chinese is very clear. let's bring it back to the british. you have seen in the last month or so the british government make a clear commitment that because of their concerns about the application of this new national—security law, they are now promising to meet their obligations to british national overseas passport holders, the number more than 300,000 in hong kong, thanks to the andover agreement of 97, and potentially, up to two and a half or 3 million more hong kong citizens could potentially get access to those so—called passports, and it

seems would be allowed to come to the uk for at least one year and maybe even apply for citizenship. what you make of what you have heard from borisjohnson what you make of what you have heard from boris johnson on what you make of what you have heard from borisjohnson on that issue?|j from borisjohnson on that issue?” would say that is a very encouraging signal, at least we finally see that as the uk government, the attitudes to china have been made, u—turn, and is encouraging to most people. you area is encouraging to most people. you are a hong kong citizen, you said to mei are a hong kong citizen, you said to me i always think in the end is a loyal resident of hong kong. do you really wa nt loyal resident of hong kong. do you really want to see hundreds of thousands, potentially millions of the brightest and the best in hong kong making it exodus, a rush for the exit door and leaving the territory? i would say why not? at least we need to protect the people of hong kong, that is the first duty. me to safeguard them because if they are still staying in hong kong, and they have sacrificed their

lives, it is worthless to me. i would say that is notjust to rescue the hong kong people, we need to rescue all of democracy, and we need to rescue british citizens as well. you think many hong kong citizens will choose to leave? at least we need to give lifeboats for them, and if they can help themselves, they have a way to leave. it is about more thanjust have a way to leave. it is about more than just the capacity for those who have the passports to leave, it is about whether the international community will try to put real pressure on china in terms of economic sanctions, joshua wong, one of the prominent, young pro—democracy activist in hong kong has called on the uk government to impose hotel sanctions in order to push for the withdrawal of the national—security bill by the chinese. he says we should at the very least expel the telecoms giant huawei from involvement in the uk 56

network. are you now as an activist here in the uk, who actually wants asylu m here in the uk, who actually wants asylum in the uk, are you pushing for the uk government to be much tougher? yes, we are working on it, and that is good news for us. at least what boris johnson said, and that is good news for us. at least what borisjohnson said, it will sort it out by 2023, and i do believe that is the uk government and also the west, they can stand up to china. interesting, because indian the most important player he is donald trump in the united states stopper his messages are very mixed. 0n the one hand he has blamed china for covid—19 pandemic, he talks tough on china, but he has not, in very notably has not torn up the phase one trade deal with china. do you believe donald trump is serious about putting pressure on beijing? we will wait and see, but at least what we see compared with other western countries, the us, unless

they show the strongest point to stand against china, and what we see, the statement made by the secretary of state, they are brave enough, they would retreat the special status to hong kong, so i do believe they have a determination to save hong kong. i want to and with a personal thought. i think i'm right in saying, a young man who is still under 30, is that right? yes. you have made a massive life decision stop given your experience last year, you have come to the uk, you are seeking political asylum, you have chosen to speak out, you are now part of the worldwide pro—democracy the hong kong movement. your life has changed for ever, you will always, at least in the foreseeable future, be regarded as an enemy by china. do you believe

that in some ways, you will always face threat in your life? definitely. that is the threat and the smear and definitely. that is the threat and the smearand campaign definitely. that is the threat and the smear and campaign against me will be for the rest of my life. people ask me if i have solicited prostitution, if i am a traitor, and iam prostitution, if i am a traitor, and i am well prepared for it because i do not regret, i believe we need to fight for democracy, not only in hong kong, but in china. no regrets at all? because you have handled things very differently stop you could have refused the british government, refused to report for the government, the british government, on the pro—democracy demonstrations, and i am just wondering, sitting here with you whether you don't have some regrets about your decisions? no, not at all. iam about your decisions? no, not at all. i am very determined, i do believe at that time, i collected information for the better good, for the world, and we can learn and hear

about the voice of the true hong kong people, the people that have no power, nothing they can do any more but the only way they can do, is go on the street, fight for democracy. simon cheng, thank you very much indeed for being a hardtalk. thank you so much. well, it doesn't look like the weather is in any hurry to settle down over the next day or two. more rain—bearing clouds on the way. in fact, it has already been raining quite heavily across the south—west of england,

western parts of wales, all thanks to this weather front that's been moving across the uk. quite sluggishly really. 0vercast skies across much of the country. for most of us it has just been patchy rain here and there, and the heaviest of the rain has indeed been across parts of cornwall, devon. it is now clearing away from wales. the little bits of pieces further north and actually scotland and northern ireland escaping most of that rain. 10 degrees will be morning temperature. so here are the occasional showers during the middle of the day. a lot of cloud across england and wales, with a few glimmers of brightness. and then we see another spell of rain heading towards eastern parts of the uk, thursday, late afternoon and evening. and that rain is sort of going to barrel across the uk, across the pennines, into parts of wales but, all the while, scotland and northern ireland escape all of that weather so actually, during thursday, this is where the best weather will be, in northern ireland, and particularly western parts of scotland. low pressure is pretty much

stuck end of the week to the south of us, it's stuck around the bay of biscay but, within this area of low pressure, there is actually quite a lot of fairly warm and humid aircircling. that warm and humid air heading our way but, with it, also comes the return of this weather front so that does mean that on friday we are anticipating again a dose of heavy rain, particularly across the south south—west, and into wales as well and, again, the best of the weather will be the further north you are, in fact cracking weather there in the north of scotland but it will be cooler there, around 1a degrees. that weather front will make its journey a little bit further north during saturday and to the south of that, we'll probably see showers breaking up, the possibility of some thunderstorms as well. this is actually humid air streaming in from the south. those temperatures will be rising. given a bit of sunshine, we could see highs into the mid 20s across the south. 20 degrees or so on saturday in glasgow. but in western scotland, still a lot of sunshine around. and here's sunday — again, the best of the weather i think the further north you are.

in the south we still could catch some thunderstorms. bye— bye.

this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. i'm maryam moshiri. another statue down: protestors try to destroy a confederate monument in the city of portsmouth, virginia. britain could have halved the number of virus deaths if it had locked down just one week earlier says the government's former scientific advisor. russia says a massive diesel spill in the arctic could take years to clean up. and the authorjk rowling speaks out about being a victim of domestic abuse. in business, a long road to recovery. the federal reserve weighs up the damage to the us economy and says fixing it will take years.