China summons Western envoys in Hong Kong over Jimmy Lai sentencing criticism
Media mogul Jimmy Lai, founder of Apple Daily, arrives the Court of Final Appeal by prison van in Hong Kong, China, Feb 9, 2021.
PHOTO: Reuters file
BEIJING - China's foreign ministry commissioner's office in Hong Kong said on Saturday (Feb 14) it had summoned the heads of the UK, US, Australian and European Union missions over their officials' negative comments on Jimmy Lai's sentencing.
The office said it expressed "strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition" and urged those governments to respect China's sovereignty and Hong Kong's rule of law, stop "irresponsible" remarks on national security cases and cease interfering in Hong Kong and China's internal affairs.
Earlier this month, a Hong Kong court sentenced Lai, a prominent China critic and former media tycoon, to 20 years in prison in a landmark foreign‑collusion case under the city's national security law.
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