On the 81st day of Jimmy Lai Chee-ying’s national security trial, a court heard that the Next Digital founder had called on US voters to cast their ballots for then-president Donald Trump in the 2020 election because the tycoon believed Trump’s policies could cause greater damage to China.
During a September 3, 2020, episode of his Live Chat with Jimmy Lai program, the tycoon said that for the United States to maintain its global supremacy, it must have a strong presence and allies in the Asia-Pacific region to counter China.
When a viewer asked what Hongkongers in the United States could do to draw international attention to Hong Kong, Lai said that if Trump remained president, he would be more dangerous for China than Joe Biden, who emerged as the victor in the November 2020 election.
Lai described Trump as playing “hardball” and being “very unpredictable and resolved” in his approach to dealing with China, unlike a “gentlemanly” diplomatic style.
Lai also expressed fears for the future of Hong Kong, saying he felt the city had already lost the rule of law and could no longer maintain its status as an international financial center, having become a “police state.”
In an August 27, 2020 episode, Lai called on Hongkongers who had left the city to continue protesting and seeking political support from Western countries.
He warned that without international support, Hong Kong could become another Xinjiang, where China had been accused of human rights abuses involving the Uygurs.
During the programs, pro-democracy activist Frances Hui Wing-ting voiced concerns about balancing personal political views with journalistic objectivity.
Lai replied that a reporter’s individual values, beliefs and integrity are inevitably reflected in their writings.
After the national security law was implemented, Lai requested that Benedict Rogers of Hong Kong Watch continue international advocacy, as Lai and his associates could be treated as colluding with foreign countries under the new law.
Hong Kong United Times丨香港聯合時報丨HKUT 