China says US 'whitewashing criminals' as Washington condemns Jimmy Lai's jail sentence

The prison sentencing of the Hong Kong media mogul, Jimmy Lai on Saturday by the Hong Kong court has garnered a lot of attention all around the world, especially the US. The 75-year-old billionaire was sentenced to almost 6 years in prison over fraud charges. Jimmy Lai was known for his pro-democratic stance in Hong Kong and had quite a few run-ins with the authorities. Under these circumstances, the global superpower US and China sparred heads over the imprisonment of the Hong Kong newspaper, Apple Daily owner.  

While the US condemned the arrest, it was China who hit back and claimed that Washington is trying to “whitewash criminals”. It all started when on Saturday, US Department of State spokesperson Ned Price condemned the trial sentencing of Jimmy Lai and claimed and urged the People’s Republic of China to respect freedom of expression. Price wrote, “The United States condemns the grossly unjust outcome of Jimmy Lai’s latest trial sentencing. By any objective measure, this result is neither fair nor just. We once again call on PRC authorities to respect freedom of expression, including for the press, in Hong Kong.” The recent tweet by Price made Beijing very upset. 

On Sunday, China’s foreign affairs office in Hong Kong lashed out at the assertion made by the US and went on to vehemently reject the “irresponsible comments” made by the US official over Lai’s case.  According to South China Morning Post, the spokesman of Hong Kong’s foreign affairs office claimed that the rights of the people of Hong Kong are fully protected and lashed out at Washington by saying, “immunity passport for lawbreakers, or a privilege for anti-China forces”. Speaking further on Lai’s case, he said, “In Jimmy Lai’s fraud case, the evidence is clear, the procedure is law-based, and the judgment is open and transparent. The trial by the special administrative region court is totally legitimate and lawful and it brooks no interference or reproach.”

China officials accused the US of 'whitewashing criminals'

The spokesperson also questioned the intention of the US to get involved in Lai’s case. The spokesperson accused Washington by stating that US is questioning China’s Freedom of the press, “just because the case involves an anti-China criminal”. According to South China Morning Post, the spokesperson even went on to call Lai an “agent and a pawn of the US”. Accusing the US of ignoring the facts of the case and Whitewashing criminals, the Chinese official didn’t stop hurling criticism on Price’s remarks. He said, “The US often claims to stand up for fairness, justice and the rule of law, but it repeatedly sugarcoats criminals as ‘human rights pioneers’, smears the fair trial of (Hong Kong) courts.”

On Saturday, Hong Kong billionaire, Jimmy Lai was jailed for 5 years and nine months over a fraud case. Lai was also fined 2 million Hong Kong dollars (US $256,850) for a breach of lease terms and “deliberate concealment” of a firm based at the office of now discontinued Apple Daily Newspaper. The court charged both Lai and the Chief Administrative Officer of Lai’s firm Next Digital, for illegally subletting the place. This was not the first time Lai had a run-in with the draconian laws of Chinese authorities. Last year the media mogul was sentenced to 13 months of imprisonment for participating in a vigil that marked the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests.