Taiwan's government has publicly backed Hong Kong democracy activist Joshua Wong as he faces a possible long prison term — bad news for Hong Kong's remaining opposition, and another sign of hardening cross-strait tensions.

• Joshua Wong has again pleaded guilty to conspiring with foreign forces under Hong Kong's national security law.
• The charge carries three to ten years, and life in prison in the most serious cases.
• Taipei called on Beijing and Hong Kong to stop the political crackdown and release detained democracy figures.
• Taiwan's government said the case shows the city's courts and free speech have been badly eroded since the law took effect.
• Taipei tied the case to its own defense push, urging lawmakers to pass an extra military budget quickly.

Outlook: A heavy sentence for Wong looks likely, and Taiwan will keep using such cases to argue for faster defense spending.