Media mogul Jimmy Lai testifies in Hong Kong national security trial
Jimmy Lai has told a court in Hong Kong that he hoped Donald Trump would stop the National Security Law being imposed by Beijing in 2020.
Speaking in his defence for the first time since he was jailed almost four years ago, the 76-year-old explained how he thought President Trump might help: “Maybe just ask China not to do it or whatever. A call to China, a call to Xi Jinping, whatever.”
He told the court he believed at that time that the survival of his newspaper the Apple Daily, relied on support from the first Trump administration. He said he felt that if the law was introduced there would be no way for him to run an independent media - and subsequent events proved him right.
The former newspaper owner and activist is on trial for sedition and collusion under Hong Kong’s National Security law which was introduced in June 2020. Following Jimmy Lai’s arrest his newspaper offices were raided, and his business was forced to close.
His trial started in December last year but has been plagued by delays which his family say have compounded the impact on his health.
In his testimony, Lai stated that he had never met Donald Trump in person during his first presidency, but he did travel to Washington in 2019 and meet with Mike Pence and Mike Pompeo, the then Vice President and Secretary of State respectively.
The meetings were among several Lai held with lawmakers during his visit to the US which he said was to tell them about the pro-democracy protests which had gripped Hong Kong that year.
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When asked about the nature of the meetings Lai told the court he only asked the Vice President to voice support for Hong Kong, adding “it would be beyond him” to request that Pence take any concrete action.
It is alleged by the prosecution that Mr Lai used his contacts to try to influence foreign policy on Hong Kong. Being led through a series of questions by his defence lawyer Steven Kwan, Mr Lai said he had never donated any money to any political organisations or people outside of Hong Kong and he had never been a member of any political party. He stated he had only ever donated money in the US "for think tanks and religious organisations".
Dozens of people had queued in the rain outside West Kowloon Court to secure their place in the courtroom and hear him speak. Yesterday many had also been in court to witness the sentencing of the Hong Kong 47.
Despite having lost a lot of weight, Jimmy Lai appeared in good spirits and spoke with clarity, in a clear English accent.
The Defence lawyer Steven Kwan started by asking Mr Lai about why he started his media business which included the newspaper the Apple Daily and Next Magazine.
He replied that it appeared a good business opportunity and "the more information you have, the more you are in the know, the more you are free".
On the record he described the core values of his newspaper for the people of Hong Kong as being "carved into their hearts because they lived under the institution of the British colony." Asked to elaborate on what he meant he said the "rule of law, freedom, pursuit of democracy, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of assembly".
Jimmy Lai started his newspaper in 1995 in the wake of the Tiananmen Square crackdown and just before Hong Kong’s handover to China. For thirty years he was one of the city’s most prominent figures, joining many campaigns for democracy and freedom of speech. He had long been a target of the Chinese Communist Party and was one of the first arrested under the National Security Law.
His Lawyer asked about his stance regarding the independence of Hong Kong and Taiwan which the 76-year-old said was “too crazy to think about”. He went on to say that he would never allow anyone who advocated the idea to join his newspaper.
He was later asked about his connections with the former Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen and admitted that they had become friends bonding over a shared interest in discussing US politics.
He said she knew that he was a supporter of President Trump, and he had introduced her to some people that would help her ‘’learn how better to deal with the US government.”
When asked why he would help “lift” Taiwan Lai replied: “Because Taiwan is the only democracy of Chinese people … the whole history of Chinese people".
The 76-year-old is a British passport holder who has been kept mostly in solitary confinement at a maximum-security jail. His son Sebastien has helped put his father’s cases in the global spotlight, encouraging the new Labour government to address his plight directly with the Chinese Government.
Sir Keir Starmer referenced concerns for Jimmy Lai’s health in his opening remarks to President Xi during their meeting at the G20 earlier this week. Last month Foreign Secretary David Lammy had raised his case with China’s Foreign Minister at a meeting between the pair in Beijing.
The Chinese Government has condemned Jimmy Lai as a ringleader of the protests in 2019 and an agent of anti-China forces.
Jimmy Lai has pleaded not guilty to two conspiracy charges of collusion with foreign forces and a third count of conspiracy to print and distribute seditious publications in his now-closed Apple Daily tabloid newspaper.
He is expected to remain on the witness stand for fifteen days, before being cross-examined by the prosecution. If he is found guilty, he could face a life sentence.
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