China’s Foreign Ministry Commissioner’s Office on Tuesday said it has lodged formal protests with the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post over their reporting on the trial and conviction of Hong Kong businessman and media tycoon Jimmy Lai.
In separate letters sent to the two US newspapers, the office accused the Wall Street Journal of downplaying Lai’s role in the 2019 anti-government protests in Hong Kong and of failing to mention that he had urged the United States and other countries to impose sanctions on China. According to the ministry, such omissions distorted the nature of the case and misrepresented Lai’s influence during the protests.
The Commissioner’s Office also criticised the Washington Post’s coverage, describing it as “meticulously edited” and “quite capricious.” It alleged that the reporting selectively presented facts and narratives, calling on the newspaper to “return to professional integrity and the truth.”
Jimmy Lai was recently found guilty of sedition and conspiring with foreign forces under Hong Kong’s national security law, a verdict that has drawn criticism from Western governments and international rights groups.
Responding to international backlash, China’s Foreign Ministry reiterated that the case was handled strictly in accordance with the law. It stressed that Hong Kong’s judicial proceedings are an internal matter and rejected what it described as external interference and politicisation of the legal process.
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