China crackdown on HK under spotlight as media tycoon Jimmy Lai goes on trial

Media mogul Jimmy Lai has faced a salvo of litigation since a wave of pro-democracy demonstrations in 2019. - Reuters

HONG KONG: A long-awaited national security trial opens in Hong Kong on Monday (Dec 18) for leading China critic and media tycoon Jimmy Lai, who faces possible life imprisonment on charges he colluded with foreign forces, including the United States.

Foreign envoys, business people and legal scholars will be watching the trial closely, saying it looms as a fresh diplomatic flashpoint and a key test for the city's judicial independence and freedoms under the sweeping national security law imposed by China in 2020.