In a back-and-forth that's grabbing headlines, the Chinese Foreign Ministry's office in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region fired off separate letters this week to the Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post. The goal? To rebut editorials criticizing the conviction of media mogul Jimmy Lai.
In its letter to the WSJ's editorial board, the office slammed a Dec 15 editorial as "absurd," accusing the paper of calling the trial a "show trial" and hyping Lai as a freedom hero while ignoring his calls for foreign sanctions and his vow to "fight for America." 🔍
With a trial lasting 156 days, testimony from 14 prosecution witnesses, over 2,200 pieces of evidence and an 855-page verdict, China's office said it's baffling that the WSJ still finds "no serious evidence." Instead, the editorial is branded a "show editorial" that tries to shift focus to diplomatic pressure on the U.S. and the U.K. 🤝
Meanwhile, the letter to The Washington Post called its piece a "failed preview" for skipping Lai's alleged collusion with external forces. It pointed to open hearings, tens of thousands of pages of documents, and the claim that press freedom can't be a cover for actions "undermining national security."
Both letters stress that the rule of law can't be bought, national security is a red line, and that talking up health concerns or solitary confinement without facts is "reckless." The office urged an end to what it calls a "sham editorial" and insisted that when freedom is abused as a dagger, the law stands as a shield. 🛡️
Stay tuned as this media clash plays out—because in an era where a tweet can trend from Mumbai to Manila overnight, every op-ed has the power to spark global debates. 🌏
Reference(s):
China slams Jimmy Lai editorials in letters to WSJ, Washington Post
cgtn.com
