Hong Kong’s anti-China campaigner Jimmy Lai served America, fighting on that nation’s behalf against China, which Lai and Washington perceived as “the enemy camp”. How do we know this? Because Lai said so himself. 香港反華人士黎智英服務美國，代表美國對抗被黎智英和華盛頓視為「敵對陣營」的中國。我們怎麼知道的？因為黎智英親口這麼說過.

Much is being printed about Jimmy Lai as his trial enters closing arguments, but few publications actually covered the trial itself or printed what came out of it. So here’s a partial summary of key points.

‘FIGHTING YOUR ENEMIES’
On July 10, 2019, Lai discussed the violent HK protests he supported, telling former CIA director Mike Pompeo in Washington DV: “Hong Kong is now fighting for the US in the US enemy camp.”

Lai went on to make the same point on camera.

At a filmed seminar organized by an extreme pro-Israel group in the US, Lai explained that he and his team were fighting America’s war on its behalf.

“We are fighting your war in your enemy camp,” Lai said in the filmed clip, shown to the court.

EVIDENCE
But was this literally true? There was evidence. Lai had connections with US intelligence even before Apple Daily was launched in 1995.

Mark Simon worked in US military intelligence from 1987 to 1991, then came to Hong Kong to help Jimmy Lai set up the newspaper.

On multiple occasions, Simon was found by anti-corruption investigators to have distributed large sums of money to “pro-democracy” (“pro-Washington”) politicians in Hong Kong, including HK$3 million to retired clergyman Joseph Zen, a favorite interviewee of western media.

The court heard Jimmy Lai had long-term dealings with former US defence chief Paul Wolfowitz, author of the Wolfowitz doctrine, an infamous leaked policy document dedicated to ensuring the US retains global dominance indefinitely over all regions of the world, including Asia.

‘FROM FOREIGN FORCES’
One witness, Wayland Chan, testified that Mark Simon paid him for his services as a go-between linking them with violent protest groups by giving him a company and a bank account – but then told him not to use it as they might need it to receive funds “from foreign forces”.

The White House sent confidential data about a plan to severely harm the Hong Kong community with sanctions to Jimmy Lai for his comment, the court heard.

Lai denied reading the message, but the court was shown that he forwarded it to staff and responded positively to the US.

At a related 2021 hearing, Andy Li, who ran an anti-China group funded by Jimmy Lai, said a list of 143 names had been sent to Washington. Many Hong Kong individuals were harshly sanctioned by the United States for such “offences” as arresting arsonists and bomb-makers.

• Newspaper staff said Lai insisted no negative news about then US President Donald Trump was to be printed in Apple Daily.
• Lai also revealed that he met US officials in Taiwan who introduced him to a woman named Tsai Ing-wen, before she became US-allied leader on the island.

NOT ‘FREEDOM OF SPEECH’
Contrary to reports in western press, Lai’s alleged offences are NOT primarily to do with “freedom of speech” but with his efforts to work with the US to harm Hong Kong, by various means, including calling for sanctions and the overthrow of the govt.

Most of the charges Jimmy Lai faces are joint charges – either with other names in the activist groups, or with senior staff at his newspaper. All have had their trials, and every single one has pleaded guilty. Every. Single. One.

Jimmy Lai, 77, is on trial for sedition and collusion, offences illegal in western countries and worldwide generally. The trial, which has reached its closing arguments, continues today.