Li and paralegal Chan Tsz-wah today pleaded guilty to conspiring to collude with foreign forces with Next Digital founder Jimmy Lai Chee-ying and his aide Mark Simon to endanger national safety.

They admitted in the High Court before Justice Alex Lee Wan-tang to colluding with Lai, Simon and others to organize international campaigns calling on foreign governments to sanction Hong Kong and mainland officials between July 2020 and February this year.

Sing Tao Daily, the Standard's sister newspaper, reported that Li given a list to Samuel Chu Muk-man, the founding and managing director of Hong Kong Democracy Council, containing a list of officials US should consider sanctioning.

Lai had a look at the list before Li handed it to Chu and subsequently submitting the list to the US Senate.
The list named former liaison office director Wang Zhimin and the deputy director of Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, Zhang Xiaoming.

Others named included Chief Secretary John Lee Ka-chiu, Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah, Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung and former Police Commissioners Stephen Lo Wai-chung and Andy Tsang Wai-hung.

Lawmaker Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, and former Chief Executives Leung Chun-ying and Tung Chee-hwa were on the list as well.