Jimmy Lai

Jimmy Lai was born into a wealthy family in China. But the family lost everything when Mao Zedong and his communist party took over China. Jimmy was 12 years old when he stowed away on a boat to Hong Kong. There he took menial work until he worked himself up to found a multi-million dollar fashion brand Giordano. He was a fashion mogul and incredibly rich, when in 1989 he witnessed the suppression by China’ military of the Tiananmen Square protests, ordered by the Chinese Communist Party. Lai had a transformation, and quickly established himself as one of the loudest critics of the CCP.

When China took over Hong Kong from Great Britain, the CCP didn’t take long in imposing their oppressive regime. Hong Kong was supposed to be recognized as a Special Administrative Region under the “one country, two systems” principle. That was quickly forgotten by the CCP, despite its promise to respect civil liberties in Hong Kong for fifty years. China began imposing it’s hard hand on Hong Kong with Beijing’s power to veto any political changes in the city. China set up its puppet government in Hong Kong and a law that allowed the Chinese government to bring those accused of crimes to China to be tried, threatening Hong Kong’s legal independence. Massive protests took place in the streets of Hong Kong in 2019. China passed a new national security law in 2020 in response to the protests, essentially shutting down any dissent of its policiels.

Jimmy Lai began Next Media, a media company, and Apple Daily, a popular newspaper, as voices against the CCP’s hard hand in Hong Kong. Lai was arrested in December of 2020 under the new national security law and labeled a threat to China. CBS News article reports that Lai “is being tried on charges of colluding with foreign forces to endanger national security and conspiring with others to issue seditious publications.” Lai denies colluding with foreign forces. As far as “seditious publications” go, there’s no doubt that Next Media and Apple Daily regularly criticized the oppressive measures and control of Hong Kong China was imposing. The question is, why is it against the law to criticize one’s government? Because China demands no dissent, no voices criticizing its policies. Sadly, most of the voices of dissent in Hong Kong have grown silent. The marches protesting China’s policies in Hong Kong are a memory.

Lai’s trial has garnered international attention. The West is concerned that Jimmy Lai represents the last remaining vestige of civil rights in Hong Kong. Lai could have just sat out China’s takeover of Hong Kong. He was a multi-millionaire. He could have fled to London. He is a British citizen. But he is also a Catholic who takes his faith seriously. And that faith is one of the factors that inspired Lai to speak out in favor of civil rights and democracy in Hong Kong after China made it clear that civil rights and democracy in Hong Kong were a thing of the past. Lai’s Catholic faith also strengthens him in his imprisonment and trials.

Lai’s fate will be decided soon. It is likely that the 77 year old will be given a life sentence. Lai’s health has not been good of late. The closing arguments for his trial have been delayed twice, first by a typhoon that struck Hong Kong and then by concern for Lai’s health. His heart is not good. He was placed on a heart monitor and the government insists he has been treated well and is his health is fine. Even still, Lai was noticeably thinner when he arrived for the closing arguments that were finally able to get under way. Britain’s Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has demanded Lai’s release as a British citizen, to no effect. U. S. President Donald Trump says he has brought up Lai’s imprisonment to China and will do all he can to get him released, to no effect.

Other nations are watching the trial closely. I wonder why. What, exactly, is anyone going to do if the likely result of Lai’s imprisonment for life becomes a reality? If Jimmy Lai is sentenced to life in prison, and it’s almost a certitude, then that will mean that China has succeeded in taking full control of Hong Kong and full suppression of civil liberties and has crushed any hope for democracy. Because Lai will be sentenced and the world will do nothing. U. S. companies will continue to work in China and do work with China. The U. S. will continue to trade with China. The NBA will continue to play in China, and Hollywood will continue making movies in and selling movies to China. After all, China’s human rights record is already horrendous. Genocide against the Fulon Gong. Killing prisoners incarcerated on petty crimes to sell their organs on the international black market. Forced abortions. Putting everyone under surveillance with cameras everywhere. The worst, next to India, record on carbon pollution. And nobody cares. So long as the West can make money in China, no one will care about their human rights abuses – no, not abuses, horrors!

God bless and protect Jimmy Lai. He already has, of course. Our Lord has given Jimmy Lai the strength and courage to speak up to the largest offender of human rights in the world today. While so many others remain silent, Lai has spoken up. He will pay with his life in a Chinese prison. But while his body is imprisoned, his soul belongs to Jesus, and his spirit is free to continue to be a living witness to the way the world ought to be.

Be Christ for all. Bring Christ to all. See Christ in all.

He also founded the Hong Kong media giant company Next Digital and the popular newspaper Apple Daily.