HKSAR security secretary rebuts Financial Times over Jimmy Lai case

HONG KONG, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- Chris Tang Ping-keung, secretary for security of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government, has written to the Financial Times, dismissing its recent editorial on the Jimmy Lai case as containing false and misleading claims and anti-China rhetoric.

In his letter, Tang criticized the newspaper for deceiving readers and ignoring both the gravity of the case and the court's rulings, which were made based on evidence and laws.

Tang reiterated that the Lai case had nothing to do with press freedom, and questioned the newspaper's unsupported endorsement of the British government's stance, adding that it was an attempt to pressure both the Chinese central government and the HKSAR.

He also condemned the editorial's suggestion that the case could be used as a bargaining chip in dialogues between the United Kingdom and the United States, saying that such remarks constituted contempt for the spirit of the rule of law and disrespected diplomacy between states.

Law enforcement actions taken by the HKSAR authorities are carried out strictly on the basis of evidence and legal provisions, regardless of the political stance, background or profession of any individual or group involved, Tang said.

Jimmy Lai, an instigator of anti-China riots in Hong Kong, was found guilty on Dec. 15 on two charges of conspiring to collude with external forces and a charge of conspiracy to publish seditious materials.■