ANKARA

China on Thursday said that the case of Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai is purely an internal matter and warned against any form of external interference.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Jimmy Lai was “the principal mastermind and perpetrator behind the series of riots that shook Hong Kong.”

"The central government firmly supports Hong Kong judicial authorities in performing their duties in accordance with the law," she told reporters during a news conference.

Mao added that Hong Kong's affairs are an internal matter of China and should not be interfered with by others.

Her comments were in response to reports that US President Donald Trump brought up the Lai issue during his recent meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea.

Before he meets with his Chinese counterpart, Trump said last month that he may request that Chinese President Xi consider Jimmy Lai's release.

China called the media tycoon a "major mastermind and participant of the anti-China riots in Hong Kong in 2019."

Lai, a Hong Kong businessman, media mogul, and politician, is facing charges for “conspiracy to collude with foreign forces” under Beijing-imposed security legislation, as well as conspiring to publish “seditious” materials in the now-defunct popular Apple Daily.

If convicted, he may face life in prison. His trial began on Dec. 18, 2023. Lai has pleaded not guilty to two charges of colluding with foreign forces, as well as a sedition charge.