US President Trump is about to embark on a highly anticipated trip to China. He claims he will bring up Jimmy Lai during his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. But the reality is mind-boggling. A politician who claims to have been persecuted by fake news for years is now standing up for a convicted criminal who banked on fake news to incite social unrest and undermine the rule of law.
Trump claims to have been persecuted by fake news for years.
Trump laid out his plans in an exclusive interview last Monday (May 4). Speaking with conservative Salem News Channel host Hugh Hewitt, the US President mentioned he had called for Lai's release during a previous meeting with Xi. Trump admitted the Hong Kong issue is not easy to handle. Yet, he promised to bring the matter up again during his upcoming visit.
This stance contradicts his own fierce rhetoric against the media. A political insider points out that Trump consistently slams mainstream outlets like The New York Times and CNN as the "enemy of the people." The President accuses them of fabricating fake news, defaming him personally, and jeopardizing US national security. He even stated publicly that their continuous fake reporting aimed at belittling the President is "seditious, perhaps even treasonous."
Apple Daily and Next Digital represent the exact kind of extreme liberal media Trump despises. Founded by Jimmy Lai, these outlets spent years launching malicious attacks on the Hong Kong SAR Government and Central Government leaders. They used sensational, baseless reporting to incite citizens to hate their country and publicly called for foreign sanctions against China. Their methods for fabricating stories against Chinese Mainland and Hong Kong officials perfectly mirror how American liberal media targets Trump. They rely entirely on making things up out of thin air.
The consequences of this fake news were devastating. During the 2019 anti-extradition bill riot, Apple Daily manufactured rumors like the "K the eye-injury woman" and stories of police firing indiscriminately at protesters. These lies were designed to intensify social conflicts. Fueled by hatred from these reports, many young people took to the streets for violent protests. They only woke up to reality and felt deep remorse after being thrown behind bars.
The court judgment in Jimmy Lai's case made the reality clear. He was not exercising press freedom, but rather using his media outlets as political tools trying to overthrow the Central People's Government. He attempted to push Hong Kong into chaos to invite intervention from Western countries like the US. In Trump's own vocabulary, these twisted actions are nothing short of "seditious" and "treasonous." If Lai produced news using the exact same methods in the United States, he would equally be arrested and prosecuted.
Make no mistake: the Jimmy Lai case is a landmark example of cracking down on fake news and its malicious political influence. If Trump truly opposes fake news, he should support the verdict rather than plead for a convicted criminal and agitator. Standing up for Lai only damages Trump's own image as a fighter against fake news. It also severely undermines respect for China's sovereignty.
Ariel
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The National Security Department of the Police Force launched an enforcement operation on October 6. Officers arrested a man and a woman in Kwun Tong District and Tsim Sha Tsui District respectively, both aged 38.
The arrested persons are suspected of violating Section 24 of the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, namely the offence of "doing an act with a seditious intention." Sources indicate that the arrested man is Wong Ka-ho, a former member of the localist group "North District Dynamic." The other arrested person is his girlfriend.
It is understood that during the black violence period, someone set up a social media page named "YellowInsurance," covering platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. While promoting insurance business, the page repeatedly published posts supporting the black violence and expressing solidarity with "brothers and sisters."
It also spread messages smearing the Central Authorities and the SAR Government, promoting "Hong Kong independence," and attempting to incite public hatred toward the Central Authorities and the SAR Government.
After the implementation of the Hong Kong National Security Law, this page shifted to continuously inciting through "soft resistance" tactics. It used hashtags or so-called "acrostic poems" and other obscure "edge ball" forms to disseminate anti-China and pro-riot messages and incite "Hong Kong independence." It also promoted the black violence song "Glory to Hong Kong," various yellow shops, and participation in the "yellow economic circle" mobile application "Punish Mee," in an attempt to imperceptibly poison the general public.
Using hashtags or so-called "acrostic poems" and other obscure forms to disseminate messages. (Online image)
The page involved claimed that it could arrange various types of insurance for customers, yet did not disclose the identity of the person in charge or the relevant licence status. An insider's analysis pointed out that this operating method lacked transparency.
The page imitated the operating model of the "yellow economic circle" and hinted in its posts that it was run by anti-government "yellow people," thereby using the political halo to attract yellow-camp consumers to take out insurance through its platform and earn insurance commissions for profit.
Sources say the two arrested individuals are suspected of managing these pages. Wong Ka-ho claimed to work as a financial adviser at a local investment company and holds an insurance intermediary licence. The arrested girlfriend does not work in the insurance industry and does not hold an insurance intermediary licence, and is suspected of having been instigated by Wong Ka-ho to help manage social media.
Under the Insurance Ordinance, selling insurance without a licence or taking part in related regulated activities is a criminal offence. That includes making applications or providing advice on insurance contracts.
Founded in 2015, "North District Dynamic" repeatedly launched and joined protests against parallel traders. Wong Ka-ho was active in those activities and ran in the District Council election that same year for "North District Dynamic", but the pro-democracy camp at the time accused him of "splitting the vote".
In November 2016, Wong and several former members of Demosisto and the League of Social Democrats joined a march against the NPC's interpretation of the Basic Law. He was later arrested for surrounding the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government building and throwing hard objects at police.
In March 2020, Wong Ka-ho and Lui Chi-hang, one of those convicted in the "35+ subversion case", went to MTR Fanling Station to disrupt a signature street booth organized by citizens in "support of Article 23 legislation". The move triggered a pushing and shoving incident involving more than 20 people from both sides.
Reports at the time said Wong and his associates livestreamed the process online during the incident and afterwards shared photos of their own injuries online to court sympathy, and were accused of premeditation.
The "yellow economic circle" broadly refers to the economic activities of so-called "mutual support among brothers and sisters" initiated by some anti-China, destabilizing elements after the 2019 black violence. A senior figure pointed out that in essence it is about amassing wealth by inciting hatred and social confrontation, which both endangers national security and damages Hong Kong's economy and prosperity and stability.
After the Hong Kong National Security Law took effect, the forces concerned still hide in the community, poisoning the public through "soft resistance" to seek private gain, planting major hidden dangers for Hong Kong's long-term stability and prosperous development.
According to records, many people who took part in anti-government activities during the 2019 black violence hoped to profit through the "yellow economic circle".
For example, Chu Kong-wai is suspected of promoting MPF schemes without an MPF intermediary licence. He marketed MPF consolidation schemes on social platforms and through other channels as a "financial adviser", calling on "brothers and sisters" to let his team manage their MPF accounts and claiming they could obtain ideal returns. He was criticized for disregarding clients' potential financial losses.
Chu was attached to Manulife senior branch manager Lee Chun-wah. Before entering the insurance industry, Lee had been a male PE teacher at a secondary school, during which time he associated with a 14-year-old underage girl and once sat on the back of a half-naked girl to take photos, involving indecency toward an underage girl.
He was later revealed to possess nearly a hundred pornographic photos and videos of another girl at the school. He was ultimately convicted on two counts of committing indecent acts against a child under 16 and possession of child pornography.
Secretary for Security Tang Ping-keung mentioned in a radio program a few days ago that Hong Kong currently still faces four major national security risks. They include smearing by external forces, local terrorist activities, those who have absconded overseas continuing to advocate "Hong Kong independence", and hidden "soft resistance". He said bluntly that the most evil thing is "soft resistance", because it may not be very obvious.
The expert points out that this case proves the national security risks from "soft resistance" still exist. The acts in the case are suspected of violating "doing an act with a seditious intention," a serious offence that carries a maximum penalty of 7 years' imprisonment on first conviction.
The expert believes the police will continue to ensure that laws are observed and strictly enforced and that lawbreakers are prosecuted. The force will effectively prevent, stop and punish any acts and activities endangering national security in accordance with the law.
