Hong Kong ex-publisher Jimmy Lai testifies he didn't ask Pence, Pompeo to take action against city
Former Hong Kong publisher Jimmy Lai is testifying in his defense at his landmark national security trial
HONG KONG — Former Hong Kong publisher Jimmy Lai denied in his landmark national security trial on Wednesday he had asked then U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and then Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to take action against the city and China during the territory's anti-government protests in 2019.
Lai, founder of the now-shuttered Apple Daily pro-democracy newspaper, was arrested in 2020 in the crackdown that followed the protests. He is accused of colluding with foreign forces to endanger national security and conspiring with others to issue seditious publications. If convicted, he faces up to life in prison.
He testified about his meetings with former U.S. officials and gave details about his alleged political connections with people in the U.S., Britain and Taiwan, including Taiwan ex-President Tsai Ing-wen and Hong Kong’s last British governor, Chris Patten.
The media tycoon, who also describes himself as a businessman and social activist, said he never tried to influence foreign policy on Hong Kong or China through the people he met overseas or ask them to take action against them.
Lai’s case is widely seen as a measure of media freedom and judicial independence in the Asian financial hub.
Lai testified in English that he asked Pence to voice his support for Hong Kong during a 2019 visit to the U.S. But he said he did not ask the U.S. government to take any action, saying, “It’s beyond me.”
During the same trip Lai also met with Pompeo and had a similar discussion about the situation in Hong Kong, he said.
When Lai’s lawyer, Steven Kwan, asked him whether he had requested the U.S. to do something at that
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