China slams ‘irresponsible’ remarks on Hong Kong after Lai sentence

ISTANBUL

China on Tuesday slammed what it described as “irresponsible” remarks by foreign countries after a publisher in Hong Kong was sentenced to 20 years in jail under the National Security Law.

“No foreign country has a right to make irresponsible remarks,” China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian told reporters in Beijing.

Beijing’s remarks came after the US on Monday slammed the Hong Kong court’s decision to sentence former media tycoon Jimmy Lai to 20 years in prison.

The High Court last December found Lai guilty on three counts, including two charges of “conspiring to collude with foreign forces” and a charge of conspiracy to publish seditious materials.

The trial formally began on Dec. 18, 2023, and was heard by three judges appointed under Hong Kong’s national security law, which China imposed in 2020 following protests a year earlier.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Hong Kong High Court’s decision to sentence Lai to 20 years “is an unjust and tragic conclusion to this case.”

The sentence showed that Beijing is willing to go to “extraordinary lengths to silence those who advocate fundamental freedoms” in Hong Kong, he added.

However, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin said the Chinese government “remains unwavering in its determination to safeguard nation’s sovereignty, security, and its development interests and to implement one country, two systems.”

“Any attempt to destabilize Hong Kong and contain China is doomed to fail,” Lin said, urging the US and other nations to “abide by international law, … immediately stop meddling into Hong Kong affairs, and stop interfering in China’s internal affairs.”

The UK and Australia also expressed concern over the sentencing of Lai, a dual citizen of China and the UK.

Lai's "crimes were numerous and egregious. The sentence to 20 years in prison upholds the rule of law and justice,” Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee told reporters on Tuesday.

The sentence "serves as the most severe warning against conspiring to collude with external forces and endanger national security," said Lee, according to Beijing-based daily Global Times.