UK politician asked Jimmy Lai to cover foreign efforts to retaliate against 2020 national security law, Hong Kong court hears

Court hears UK politician Luke de Pulford approached Lai about publicising launch of Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China
Organisation was founded in early June of 2020 to discuss issues such as Beijing’s imposition of national security law later that year

Jimmy Lai trial

Brian Wong

Published: 9:13pm, 27 Mar 2024

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Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai Chee-ying was asked to provide media coverage for a group of mostly Western lawmakers considering action against mainland China ahead of the national security law’s promulgation four years ago, a court has heard.

West Kowloon Court also heard on Wednesday that British politician Luke de Pulford approached now-defunct Apple Daily tabloid founder Lai to publicise the launch of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC).

The international organisation was set up in early June 2020 to bring politicians from around the globe together to discuss issues such as the West’s trade reliance on China and Beijing’s imposition of the national security law on Hong Kong later that month.

Messages between activist Andy Li Yu-hin and de Pulford, who was involved in founding the alliance, show the former asking the UK politician if he needed “support” from Hong Kong media outlets.

“Yes, I’m just briefing Jimmy L. Will give you press release [sic],” de Pulford replied.

Li, a defendant turned prosecution witness, confirmed Lai was the person referred to by the UK politician in the messages, but said he was unsure what the Briton hoped to achieve.

He said lobbying group “Fight for Freedom, Stand with Hong Kong” (SWHK), of which he was a core member, later accepted the alliance’s invitation to join its central secretariat and provide technical assistance.

The former programmer said he helped design IPAC’s website and liaised with joining Japanese legislators, including then House of Representatives member Shiori Kanno.

Both de Pulford and Kanno were named co-conspirators in the indictment of Lai, who is standing trial on two conspiracy charges of collusion with foreign forces and one of conspiracy to print and distribute seditious publications.

Andy Li is among those testifying at Lai’s ongoing trial. Photo: Handout

Prosecutors argued the 76-year-old mogul provided financial backing to SWHK in a bid to trigger international sanctions and hostile acts against Hong Kong and mainland China.

They earlier contended in their opening speech that IPAC comprised legislators “who had taken a strong stand against [China]” and who would “summon support for implementing policies on matters related to [China], including the imposition of sanctions”.

Li said SWHK helped the alliance publish a series of statements in 2020 to condemn the Beijing-imposed national security law and warn of its consequences.

The Jimmy Lai trial so far: daily updates on his Hong Kong national security case

The statements include one from two New Zealand lawmakers on July 6 of that year, which urged their country’s administration to “confirm that there will be no extraditions made to Hong Kong under this new law”.

Another piece from July 10 by then Australian parliamentarian Kevin Andrews described the Chinese Communist Party as the “bear in the room” and said his country had begun to examine “effective legislation, including a Magnitsky-style approach to human rights abuses”.

The court heard de Pulford also set up a Telegram chat group in late June that year for SWHK members, including UK-based campaigner Finn Lau Cho-dik and US-based astrophysicist Shirley Ho, to discuss possible measures IPAC could take to counter China.

De Pulford asked the group to identify “the single most powerful thing which IPAC could do on [Hong Kong]”, adding the alliance needed to take concrete action aside from issuing statements and also make realistic requests.

UK politician Luke de Pulford (centre) asked the group to identify “the single most powerful thing which IPAC could do on [Hong Kong]”, the court has heard. Photo: Getty Images

He expressed reluctance to call for sanctions, saying the legislative process was slow and the move was infeasible in some places such as the European Union, but accepted the move had its value and “should be a part of a wider strategy”.

The Briton also said asking foreign governments to offer Hongkongers a “lifeboat” was a “no-go” and revealed some IPAC members felt the move was equivalent to admitting defeat.

Prosecution witness Li said he floated some “immature ideas” in the conversations, such as seeking the expatriation of Chinese citizens from foreign countries and removal of China from the World Trade Organization.

But the former activist stressed his comments in the chat group were not representative of SWHK’s position on the situation.

The trial continues on Thursday.

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