Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai charged under security law

China is killing Hong Kong, for the sake of expansion of the Love China Policy. Laws that limit any opinion that does not follow the official one. Kidnapping, forced confessions even disappearance. The will of people over ruled with fear and brutality. Definatly not what I want or want for my children. Free Tibet, would be nice start but it's been ethnicity cleansed, what's left? That's the future under China's rule.

Shame on the CCP. Can never be trusted. I hope Jimmy keeps fighting. I have signed every online petition available demanding freedom for all ethnic groups and territories being held by the CCP. I have already told my spouse we are never ever to go to HK or China again, as more than likely I would be arrested and sent to the mainland.

Gambaret HK, Taiwan, Uighur People, and Tibetans.

The CCP is not even pretending anymore, I am not hopeful but this may mean the gloves will come out on the other side as well.

Mr Lai, I'm told was one if the few landlord that gave rent relief to struggling HK small businesses during the democracy protests. The man is selfless and is a hero to all Chinese people.

He will be remembered in history as a force for good. I wish him well with his legal battles.

Pro CCP means no rights, you think china is your friend , you think they want to share, you think everything will be great under chinese control ?

Everywhere the CCP goes hell is sure to follow.

Keep well Mr. Lai , mainland is evil country

The free press, one not controlled or 'partially' controlled by the state is the enemy of authoritarian regimes.

Look at the list of states at the lower end of the rankings, for examples

https://rsf.org/en/ranking

China 177, Iran 173, Russia 149, Saudi Arabia 170, North Korea 180

National security offences carry a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Not one for supporting tycoons but this is outrageous.

Hong Kong had its democracy crushed - just like that.

It's what happens when you allow authoritarianism to take over. Under the guise of capitalism, communism... whatever.

We must be wary of such moves towards dictatorships, wherever we find ourselves.

It is clear that Communist China will continue to escalate political repression in Hong Kong, and only strong and prompt global condemnation will first slow down and stop the CCP's regional expansion of authoritarianism. No one would have to risk their lives to demonstrate if China upheld the pledge and enforced autonomy in Hong Kong, but the CCP only knows how to silence people with abuse and political repression.

It is clear that Communist China will continue to escalate political repression in Hong Kong, and only strong and prompt global condemnation will first slow down and stop the CCP's regional expansion of authoritarianism. No one would have to risk their lives to demonstrate if China upheld the pledge and enforced autonomy in Hong Kong, but the CCP only knows how to silence people with abuse and political repression.

Agree with most of that, apart from the mislabelling of China as communist. It's nothing of the sort. Am sure even our wumao friends would be hard pressed to describe it as such.

MumbaiRocks!Today 03:53 pm JST

He needs a one way ticket to a friendly country. The writing was on the wall for a long time so he should already have left.

He stated multiple times that he would not be leaving HK and fight until the end.

Lai has been a frequent visitor to Washington, where he has met officials, including Pompeo, to rally support for Hong Kong democracy, prompting Beijing to label him a “traitor”

PTownsendToday  04:30 pm JST

The free press, one not controlled or 'partially' controlled by the state is the enemy of authoritarian regimes.

Look at the list of states at the lower end of the rankings, for examples

https://rsf.org/en/ranking

China 177, Iran 173, Russia 149, Saudi Arabia 170, North Korea 180

The US, currently at 45, and Japan at 66 are catching up really fast.

The Beijing authorities look down on Hong Kong as some kind of foreign country with second-class citizens, that needs to be forcibly brought under control. They couldn't wait and allow natural assimilation. Like hastily picking an unripe fruit. What a waste of a golden opportunity.

They couldn't wait and allow natural assimilation

Natural assimilation wasn't going to happen. Hong Kong speaks Cantonese, not Mandarin and are culturally different from the rest of China. On top of that Hong Kong residents detested mainland visitors. They are rude, pushy, argumentative, smoke everywhere even in places where it isn't permitted, and generally rubbed Hong Kong residents the wrong way. To make matters worse, mainland tour groups frequently cleaned out stores entirely so the buyers could re-sell the merchandise back in China proper. The residents of Hong Kong started calling the mainlanders "locusts".

That dislike of mainlanders rolls over to the US. A good many Chinese businesses in the US are owned by Cantonese speakers, immigrants from Hong Kong and their offspring. As soon as my wife opens her mouth they can tell she is a native Mandarin speaker, even speaking English, and they refuse us service. Even having a big fat white round-eyed husband with her doesn't soften their hatred of Mandarin speaking Chinese. Same thing btw if we try to do businesses with a Vietnamese owned shop. I have seen a Vietnamese merchant in the US yell at my wife to get out of their store! Nothing Xi Jinping does will change this. All he can do is further inflame that hatred.

This was, of course, all very predictable.

I saw it forming as I sat in my apartment decades ago (in Tokyo) and watched Prince William leaving HongKong Harbor:

While it is quiet in Hong Kong now one has to wonder how long this will remain the case? There will be something, some outrage, some gross insult that causes an explosion.