On November 19, two major events unfolded simultaneously in Hong Kong which highlighted the paradox of this once-great but now-confused city as it tries to navigate between socialism and capitalism in an era of great uncertainty. On Hong Kong Island, the Monetary Authority hosted about 300 global and regional financial leaders, including top executives from…
The European Parliament has heavily backed a resolution calling for the European Union to revoke Hong Kong’s special trading status. At the Strasbourg plenary on Thursday, 473 lawmakers voted in favour of the non-binding resolution, with only 23 voting against it. There were 98 abstentions. The resolution also asked the European Commission, the bloc’s executive…
A senior Beijing official’s remarks that the “Hong Kong people administering Hong Kong” guiding principle implies oversight by central authorities are a reminder that the city has never been an “independent political entity”, political analysts have said. They also argued that Zhang Yong, vice-chairman of the Basic Law Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC)…
Former media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying has revealed he had access to “internal” US government information but denied a former top aide’s allegation he had pressured his now-defunct Apple Daily tabloid to draft a sanctions list for Washington after Hong Kong adopted the 2020 national security law. Lai, 76, returned to the witness box on…
Jimmy Lai was the chief of the now-defunct Hong Kong tabloid Apple Daily. Now 77, he’s facing a life sentence in a national security trial in Hong Kong. He was arrested in August 2020 after the intense anti-China government protests of 2019. Jimmy Lai, once one of Hong Kong’s most outspoken media tycoons, has been…
Former media boss and opposition activist Jimmy Lai Chee-ying took to the witness stand for the first time on Wednesday in his high-profile national security trial, admitting he had donated money to local and overseas groups but denying that he used those connections to manipulate foreign policies on Hong Kong and mainland China. Beijing rebuffed…
Imprisoned Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai has started giving evidence in his national security trial, and is being taken through his international connections in minute detail as he fights the charge of colluding with foreign forces. Mr Lai has been in jail for nearly four years and this trial started almost a year ago,…
Sir Keir Starmer has said he told Xi Jinping he wanted “respectful” relations with Beijing as he became the first prime minister to meet the Chinese president since 2018. The Prime Minister raised the case of detained pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai in a sign he was prepared to challenge China over human rights abuses, but…
This week, the largest national security trial to date in Hong Kong history and one of the city’s most significant national security trials meet. Not only will 45 of 47 Hong Kong former legislators and pro-democracy activists receive jail sentences, but pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai will take the stand in court. All of these…
Washington — After a monthslong delay, the national security trial of pro-democracy publisher Jimmy Lai is due to resume Wednesday in Hong Kong amid continued calls for his immediate release. Founder of the now-shuttered Apple Daily newspaper, Lai has been held in solitary confinement since late 2020. His trial began in December 2023 and was…