A prison van believed to be carrying Jimmy Lai leaving the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts building in Hong Kong on Dec 15. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
BEIJING (Reuters): China on Monday said it was strongly dissatisfied and firmly opposes the smears and slanders targeting Hong Kong's judicial system, referring to criticisms by other countries made against the guilty verdict handed down to tycoon Jimmy Lai for his pro-democracy activities.
China's foreign ministry did not name any country but said it urged the relevant countries to respect China's sovereignty and the Hong Kong legal system.
Hong Kong's High Court found tycoon and pro-democracy campaigner Jimmy Lai guilty of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces in the city's highest-profile trial so far under a China-imposed security law that could see him jailed for life.
"We urge the relevant countries to ... not make irresponsible remarks on the trial of judicial cases in Hong Kong and not to interfere in Hong Kong's judiciary or China's internal affairs in any form," ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told reporters.
Lai's trial began in December 2023, with the verdict seen as a potential fresh diplomatic flashpoint in the former British colony that reverted to Chinese rule in 1997.
US President Donald Trump raised Lai's case with Chinese President Xi Jinping in a meeting in October and has said he would do his utmost to "save" Lai.
The British government, which is trying to build stronger economic ties with Beijing, condemned what it called the "politically-motivated prosecution" and called for Lai's immediate release.
China's foreign ministry criticised Britain, Australia, the United States and Germany for smearing Hong Kong's justice system. The Chinese embassy in London accused Britain of "blatantly" interfering in China's affairs, saying its colonial rule had come to an end and it had no right to "point fingers".
Lai's son Sebastien said the conviction was the perfect example of how Beijing had weaponised the national security law.
He told Reuters in London that countries such as Britain should make his father's release a condition when weighing closer ties with China. Asked about a possible visit by Prime Minister Keir Starmer to China next year, he said his message was: "bring my father back".
Beh Lih Yi, Asia-Pacific director of the Committee to Protect Journalists, said: "Jimmy Lai's only crime is running a newspaper and defending democracy."
Other groups, such as Amnesty International, and pro-democracy activists who fled the city after the protests fearing prosecution have also condemned the verdict.
The Chinese and Hong Kong governments have said his trial was "fair and just" and that the national security law treats all equally.
Lai's family say his health has worsened after more than 1,800 days in solitary confinement. Sebastien Lai said his father had lost 10 kg (22 pounds) in the last year alone.-- Reuters
