US consul urges Hong Kong to release Jimmy Lai and drop activist bounties, as Beijing condemns ‘interference’
Hong Kong Free Press
The top US diplomat in Hong Kong has called for the release of media mogul Jimmy Lai and other detained activists, sparking a complaint from Beijing’s foreign ministry of interference in China’s internal affairs.
US Consul General Gregory May made “unfounded comments” on Hong Kong’s judicial cases in an online seminar hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the Commissioner’s Office of China’s Foreign Ministry in Hong Kong said in a statement on Thursday.
The office said it “strongly opposed and condemned” May’s remarks, which it described as openly supporting and emboldening Lai and anti-China and anti-Hong Kong forces. The 76-year-old tycoon is on trial under the Beijing-enacted national security law for conspiring with others to collude with foreign forces. He is also accused of conspiring to publish “seditious” materials under a colonial-era law.
Withdraw arrest bounties
During the online conference, May called on Hong Kong authorities to withdraw the arrest bounties on self-exiled pro-democracy activists and to release Lai, as well as 47 pro-democracy figures and others charged for their “peaceful expression of political views.”
He also urged the Hong Kong government to provide assurances that it would preserve internet freedom, after the city’s appeals court approved the government’s bid to ban 2019 protest anthem Glory to Hong Kong.
“Clearly Hong Kong authorities have stepped onto that slippery slope of trying to censor some content on the internet. It begs the question – where is this going to end? Where are the lines going to be drawn in this space?” May said.
The Chinese foreign ministry statement said the judiciary in Hong Kong conducted fair trials and punished a small number of “anti-China” forces to eliminate national security risks.
Some Western countries had “disguised” their smear campaigns against China under the guise of academic discussion which “maliciously defames” Hong Kong’s political democracy, the office said. Such actions were “unfair” and lacked objectivity, but Hong Kong’s progress towards a new chapter of prosperity would not be impeded by any external interference.
“We advise the United States to promptly recognise reality, adjust its position, refrain from stirring up trouble, provoking incidents, or crossing boundaries, and take concrete actions to return to the right track of promoting a healthy and stable development of China-US relations,” the Chinese statement read.
DAB protest
On Friday, Hong Kong’s largest pro-Beijing party, the DAB, staged a protest outside the US consulate to oppose recent remarks by May and other US political figures on Lai’s case and the ban on the protest song.
Around 20 people, including legislators Chan Yung, Holden Chow, Chan Hok-fung and Steven Ho, chanted slogans outside the consulate. They held a banner and placards with slogans calling on the US to stop “meddling” in Hong Kong’s affairs.
“Strongly condemn US Government and politicians for trampling judicial proceedings in HKSAR,” an English slogan on the DAB’s banner read.
Beijing inserted national security legislation directly into Hong Kong’s mini-constitution in June 2020 following a year of pro-democracy protests and unrest. It criminalised subversion, secession, collusion with foreign forces and terrorist acts – broadly defined to include disruption to transport and other infrastructure. The move gave police sweeping new powers and led to hundreds of arrests amid new legal precedents, while dozens of civil society groups disappeared. The authorities say it restored stability and peace to the city, rejecting criticism from trade partners, the UN and NGOs.
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