Beijing and Hong Kong hit back after UK asks city to stop ‘targeting’ media tycoon Jimmy Lai; Asia minister meets his legal team in London
- Beijing says UK ‘interfering with city’s rule of law’ after British government junior minister for Asia meets Jimmy Lai’s British legal team on Tuesday
- Lai being subjected to ‘lawfare’ – multiple prosecutions and lawsuits - designed to silence opposition, UK lawyer says after meeting with Anne-Marie Trevelyan
Beijing’s foreign affairs office in Hong Kong has hit out at the British government for “interfering” with the city’s rule of law after a UK junior minister met the London-based lawyers for media mogul Jimmy Lai Chee-ying to discuss his court case.
The office on Wednesday also condemned British officials for “blatantly supporting anti-China forces” after the United Kingdom asked Hong Kong to stop “targeting” Lai, who has been accused of collusion with foreign forces.
“It is just another double-standard farce without a bottom line. The UK always talks about the rule of law, but now it uses the Lai case to wreak havoc on the rule of law and judicial independence in Hong Kong, providing ‘support’ for suspects regardless of right and wrong,” a spokesman for Beijing’s Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
“Some British intervening forces have colluded with the anti-China disrupters in Hong Kong at home and abroad,” the spokesman said. “Their sinister intentions of undermining the city’s prosperity, stability and interfering in Hong Kong affairs and China’s internal affairs are self-inflicted. Their political plots are doomed to fail.”
The war of words erupted after a spokesman for UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told reporters in London on Tuesday that a junior minister from the foreign office had met Lai’s lawyers and pledged the government’s support for human rights.
Britain, after the meeting requested by Lai’s UK lawyers, called on Hong Kong to stop “targeting” Lai and said it had provided support to him.
Lai, 75, a dual Hong Kong and British citizen and the man behind the now-closed Apple Daily newspaper, is awaiting trial in Hong Kong on national security charges that could result in him being behind bars for the rest of his life.
News service Bloomberg reported the British government had said it had “been clear that the Hong Kong authorities must end their targeting of pro-democracy” figures, including Lai.
Reuters, another news agency, reported a British government spokesman had said the UK would “always support rights and freedoms and the rule of law”.
“The foreign office … has provided support for Jimmy Lai for some time, and minister for Asia Anne-Marie Trevelyan … met his legal team [on Tuesday],” Reuters said.
The Hong Kong government issued a statement soon after that condemned the “international” legal team and accused London of trying to undermine Hong Kong’s rule of law.
Caoilfhionn Gallagher, the leader of the British legal team, said Lai’s son was in London this week to appeal to the UK government to protect his father, the Associated Press wire agency reported.
Gallagher told the agency Lai was “being subjected to ‘lawfare’ – multiple prosecutions and lawsuits – designed to silence and discredit him and send a clear message to others that they should not dare to criticise the Chinese or Hong Kong authorities”.
Hong Kong asks Beijing to interpret national security law after Jimmy Lai victory
Lai’s trial was expected to start last month, but it was delayed after the Hong Kong government asked Beijing to decide whether foreign lawyers could be involved in national security court proceedings.
The Department of Justice objected to Lai’s wish to retain London-based barrister Timothy Owen. Beijing left the decision up to the city’s government and Lai’s trial is now scheduled for September.
Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, convenor of the Executive Council, said the appeal by Lai’s legal team to the British government was “very stupid and disrespectful to the rule of law”.
She said “improper interference and moves” by Lai’s lawyers “fully vindicated” Beijing’s concerns about the involvement of foreign barristers in Hong Kong national security cases.
Tuesday’s UK meeting came after two failed attempts by the legal team to meet top British government figures to discuss Lai’s case, the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation said.
Hong Kong wants Beijing to interpret national security law. Here’s why it matters
“The UK-based legal team has previously requested meetings with two consecutive foreign ministers. The first request was rejected while the second went unanswered,” the group on Tuesday said.
“Jimmy Lai is a British citizen. The UK government must not only respond to his UK lawyers but support them in their efforts to free him,” Mark Clifford, the foundation’s president, said. “Every passing day that Mr Lai is in prison is another day of injustice and another day lost for the democratic movement around the world.”
The Post has approached Lai’s legal team for comment. The British foreign office declined to comment.
Police arrested Lai two months after the national security law came into effect in June 2020 and also raided the Apple Daily offices in Tseung Kwan O.
