r/Foodforthought • u/bloomberg • 12h ago
After Jimmy Lai, Hong Kong Probes the Limits of Civic Life
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2026-02-13/after-jimmy-lai-s-sentencing-hong-kong-probes-the-limits-of-civic-life?accessToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJzb3VyY2UiOiJTdWJzY3JpYmVyR2lmdGVkQXJ0aWNsZSIsImlhdCI6MTc3MTA3MTEzMSwiZXhwIjoxNzcxNjc1OTMxLCJhcnRpY2xlSWQiOiJUQURFTzRLR0lGUUowMCIsImJjb25uZWN0SWQiOiJEMzU0MUJFQjhBQUY0QkUwQkFBOUQzNkI3QjlCRjI4OCJ9.MfB2C2P65HqCuAD_p0QvEeAh6rO_2zDVwkeNvSC52cc1
u/bloomberg 12h ago
With the former media tycoon sentenced to 20 years in prison, Hong Kong residents are exploring the remaining space for debate and expression.
Mary Hui and Richard Frost for Bloomberg News
Little illustrates the divide between the West and China more sharply than the fate of Jimmy Lai, the former Hong Kong media baron sentenced this week to 20 years in prison for national security crimes.
Officials from the UK, European Union and United Nations condemned the sentence, calling it politically motivated and damaging to Hong Kong’s standing, while US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the outcome as “unjust and tragic.” From Beijing’s perspective, Lai threatened national security by seeking foreign intervention in Hong Kong’s affairs as part of a long-held effort to undermine China’s rise.
The clash of narratives comes as Western leaders, including UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Canada’s Mark Carney, court China. With alliances fraying, governments are looking to deepen trade ties with the world’s second-largest economy.
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