‘No world peace without changing China’: Hong Kong’s Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai calls for American support
- The media mogul, who was arrested over alleged collusion with foreign forces before being released on bail, sought US support in Hong Kong’s fight for freedoms
- He also warned Hong Kong people against radicalism and urged them to steel themselves for a long fight to resist the encroachment on the city’s autonomy
Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, who was arrested over alleged collusion with foreign forces, has called on Americans to support Hong Kong’s fight for freedoms, saying he hoped it would eventually change China’s behaviour, which he said “went against international values”.
“If we don’t change [China], the world will not have peace,” he warned.
The appeal of the Hong Kong media mogul was made a day after he walked free on bail, and spoke of the ordeal in a live-streamed session organised by the Heritage Foundation, an American think tank based in Washington, on Thursday morning.
Lai also warned the people of Hong Kong against radicalism and urged them to steel themselves for a long fight to resist the encroachment on the city’s autonomy.
“We’re like an egg and there is a high wall. We have to be very flexible, innovative and patient,” he said.
Lai, along with his two sons and four senior employees of the tabloid-style newspaper, known for its scathing criticisms of Beijing, was arrested on Monday when more than 200 officers raided the Apple Daily offices, sparking an international backlash as it was seen as another blow to the city’s press freedom.