Chinaโs Ministry of Foreign Affairs has reaffirmed its โfirm supportโ for Hong Kongโs judicial authorities when asked whether Beijing would consider releasing jailed former media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying ahead of US President Donald Trumpโs three-day state visit starting Wednesday.
โ[Jimmy] Lai Chee-ying is the principal mastermind and perpetrator behind the riots that shook Hong Kong,โ ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said at a press briefing, when asked whether Beijing would consider Laiโs release if Trump raised the issue during talks with Chinese officials.
โHong Kong affairs are Chinaโs internal affairs. The central government of China firmly supports the Hong Kong judicial authorities in performing duties in accordance with the law.โ
Guoโs remarks came a day before Trumpโs much-anticipated visit to China, which had previously been delayed and is taking place at the invitation of President Xi Jinping.
The summit comes amid a US-Iran ceasefire and will mark the first time a US president has visited China since 2017, when Trump travelled there during his first term.
Lai, 78, founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily, is serving a 20-year sentence for national security offences after being convicted of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and to print and distribute seditious publications.