Hong Kong tycoon Jimmy Lai’s lawyers target China diplomatic deal

Hong Kong Tycoon Jimmy Lai, who is set to take the stand in November, is the most high-profile target in Hong Kong’s crackdown on dissent. - PHOTO: AFP

HONG KONG (Bloomberg): The international legal team for Hong Kong ex-media mogul Jimmy Lai is urging the US and UK to strike a deal for his release, as the septuagenarian’s trial under a Beijing-imposed security law enters its eleventh hour.

Lawyers for Lai, along with his son Sebastien Lai, said Beijing had given them optimism earlier this month by freeing US pastor David Lin after some 20 years of detention.