The News
Hong Kong media mogul and prominent pro-democracy figure Jimmy Lai denied foreign collusion as he testified for the first time in a national security trial that could see him sentenced to life in prison.
Lai, who founded the now-closed newspaper Apple Daily, is accused of colluding with foreign powers and attempting to influence the policies of countries like the United States with regards to China and Hong Kong. Lai has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
“The core values of Apple Daily are actually the core values of the people of Hong Kong,” he said on Wednesday, values of the “rule of law, freedom, pursuit of democracy, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of assembly.”
Lai’s trial comes just a day after a Hong Kong court jailed 45 pro-democracy activists, part of a broader crackdown by Beijing on the once-autonomous city.
SIGNALS
Freeing Lai may prove difficult, despite Trump’s promises
Before his reelection, Donald Trump told conservative podcast host Hugh Hewitt he would “100%” get Lai released, adding it would be “so easy.” Trump’s remarks prompted a critical response from the city’s top leader, who urged the now president-elect not to interfere in China’s internal affairs. Trump’s comment was excessively optimistic, a professor specializing in Hong Kong governance told NBC News, a representation of his “magical realism foreign policy” that combines “boasting” and “simple solutions.” Lai’s case is one that Chinese authorities “care a lot” about, meaning “if Trump said he could free almost anyone else, there’d be more credibility than saying he could free Jimmy Lai,” the professor added.
Outcome of national security trials looks set from the start
As China exerts more control over Hong Kong, the city’s courts, once considered bastions of autonomy, are now being used as “tools of repression,” legal analysts told The Washington Post. National security trials like Lai’s happen without a jury, and are overseen by a committee approved by Hong Kong’s leader. Lai has previously been denied bail, and his choice of British lawyer was blocked after authorities deemed foreign lawyers a potential threat to national security that would require approval, the BBC reported. “The reality for the Hong Kong judges now is that they know they can’t go against the central authorities on cases like these,” a lawyer told The Post. “They know if they do, the rulings would be overridden.”
Investors express concern about Hong Kong during annual summit
The two landmark security trials took place as Hong Kong hosted its flagship investment summit to attract foreign capital, but business leaders speaking at the conference voiced caution. The chief executives of Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs called for increased transparency from Beijing, with the latter saying investors were staying on the “sidelines.” China’s crackdown on freedoms in Hong Kong is causing tension, The Wall Street Journal noted: “With stunning speed, the world’s pre-eminent East-meets-West investment hub has become more Chinese.” Investors are also concerned about China’s economy, which has struggled with slowing growth and a property market decline: “The name of the game is to reignite consumer confidence,” Morgan Stanley’s CEO noted.