Wary but defiant, Jimmy Lai is determined to fight for a democratic Hong Kong, even as he recognizes that China’s goal is to take full control of the region.
Five days after his arrest with the Guardian talking about allegations of early collusion – he is currently out on bail – media tycoon Lai claims the press should continue. But he is also of the opinion that Monday’s round was a warning from Beijing.
Six weeks ago, the government of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) enacted national security law on Hong Kong, which made even the mildest forms of activism a crime against the state. Thousands have since been arrested, including Lai, who owns the shameless pro-democracy Apple Daily tabloid.
‘They just want to show the teeth of the national security law, but they have not bitten yet. Let’s see what happens. ”
Lai is of the opinion that he will not be sent to the mainland for trial, and says that his case will probably be a ‘litmus test’ of Hong Kong’s legal system, and whether authorities will keep their promise that the Hong Kong mini-constitution Kong will be respected.
On Monday, police arrived at Lai’s house shortly after his morning exercise. They let him shower, but kept the door open. He was then handcuffed and seized, and police later chased him into Apple Daily’s newsroom, when officials raided reporters’ offices.
More than 40 hours later, he was released on a hefty bail with no passport, court date or details of his accusers, other than allegations of collusion with foreign or external forces and conspiracy to defraud.
Lai has met with U.S. politicians including Vice President Mike Spence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and has called for international interviews sanctions, which could be considered conspiracy if they happened after June 30. He has refused to use US funds against Beijing, resisting the pressure for Hong Kong independence, which is on the brink of pro-democracy movement. Nine others were also arrested.
Hong Kongers were furious, but the days of two million strong marches and violent street clashes with police are over, so they got creative. On days when Apple Daily would normally move 70,000 copies, they sold half a million, according to reports. Companies booked ads and retailers bought the company its “junk” stock, rising the price.
The future of protest in Hong Kong is creativity and patience, according to Lai. “We will not get what we want in a short time … We need to be more flexible and cautious and find different ways to keep going for the long term, not the short term,” he says.
‘Time is on our side, time is our weapon. Not violence. ”
The international community has responded to the collapse of Beijing by entering into surrender agreements, imposing sanctions on Chinese and Hong Kong officials, and – in the UK – more than three million Hong Kongers with British National Overseas passports the right to reside to give.
“This has a very positive effect in Hong Kong,” says Lai.
‘Worse is the worst, they can live in England where it is a free country. That this will be a huge intimidation for the CCP – if they press [Hong Kong] too hard everyone will leave. ”
The cliché about Lai, who is also a British citizen, is that he is “Rupert Murdoch of Asia” – rich, powerful and passionate about the news. He is a leading figure of the pro-democracy movement, not afraid to criticize Beijing.
He believes the eyes of the world are the key to Hong Kong security, as long as they do not look away. He’s not sure if the hostile language of senior U.S. officials like Mike Pompeo will be useful in the long run, but says first and foremost, China seems to have its rhetoric back.
“I think the more the US is involved in Asia, the better it is for everyone here to balance the power of the CCP.”
With the raid on Apple Daily, the fears of Hong Kong media became reality. They were told that the press was still free as long as they did not break the new law, but no one could say what that looked like.
“We do not know where the red line is, we do not know where we need the line to go,” says Lai. “For us, we will certainly do what we do.”
He says he does not ask his journalists to be martyrs.
“What I tell my staff is: when you do your job, you consider your own safety, your conscience and your obligation to society.”
‘We always have to … test the finish line. So if we continue, we may have some arrests, maybe we will get some punishments, but life must go on and the press must go on. ”
So what is the end game of the movement? The promised full democracy they have been seeking for years is now “impossible,” Lai says, but they will continue to fight.
“Without fighting, we have no hope. We do not know when we will win, but we are so sure we are on the right side of history, and time is on our side, ‘he says.
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