Tycoon sought collapse of mainland, court hears

Apple Daily founder aimed to influence foreign governments, witness says

Media tycoon Jimmy Lai Cheeying sought to trigger the mainland’s political and economic collapse by influencing other nations’ foreign policies, paving the way for the introduction of American-style democracy, a court has heard.

Paralegal turned prosecution witness Wayland Chan Tsz-wah yesterday said the Apple Daily founder shared his anti-China strategy with him during a meeting at the mogul’s villa in Yangmingshan, Taipei, in January 2020.

“Jimmy Lai said, according to historical experience, China’s implosion would happen very soon because the Chinese government mobilised many resources to monitor citizens,” Chan told the West Kowloon Court.

The witness testified at the mogul’s national security trial that Lai expected the country’s gross domestic product to plummet by 40 per cent due to the strategy, creating the best opportunity to push for democratic reforms.

The tycoon also laid out his four-step plan to steer foreign governments’ China policies in his favour, Chan added. Successful lobbying, according to Lai, first called for the dissemination of information about the city abroad.

The next step would be to appeal to international concerns and seek condemnations, the court heard.

Chan quoted Lai as saying the third step would be linking up with foreign officials and relaying their ideas to activists, ensuring Hongkongers believed “foreign governments had not abandoned or given up on them”.

The final step called for regular contact with foreign political consultants and advisers, whom Lai described as “those under the table”, and to influence the policies of their respective governments.

The witness said Lai believed “that would be the way to trigger sanctions against Hong Kong and even overthrow the Chinese Communist Party in the future”.

Lai, 76, is standing trial on two conspiracy charges of collusion with foreign forces under the Beijing-decreed national security law, which took effect in June 2020. He is also contesting a third count of conspiracy to print and distribute seditious publications under colonial-era legislation.

Prosecutors accused Lai of using Chan as a middleman to relay his instructions to activists of the “Fight for Freedom, Stand with Hong Kong” (SWHK) advocacy group to instigate economic sanctions and other hostile acts from the West.

Chan turned prosecution witness after pleading guilty to conspiracy to collude with foreign forces in 2021.

He said the Taiwan trip was joined by Britain-based activist Finn Lau Cho-dik and a woman associated with the radical faction of the 2019 protest movement.

Chan said the tycoon offered to propel Lau to political stardom using his financial backing and personal connections, but the activist said he wanted to keep a low profile.

Lai also urged him not to “waste resources” on meeting politicians abroad. “He said people like [US Senators] Rick Scott, Ted Cruz and Todd Young already had connections with the old pan-democrats,” the witness said, referring to SWHK’s visit to Washington in December 2019.

Chan said he and Lau also talked to late Taiwanese democracy activist Shih Ming-teh, courtesy of Lai’s connections.

Shih shared his experience of organising protests and encouraged Lau to sacrifice himself for the anti-government movement, the court heard.

Chan said that as a result of the trip, Lau and core SWHK member Andy Li Yu-hin agreed to follow Lai’s instructions on the “international front”, a reference to efforts to draw sanctions and blockades against Hong Kong and the rest of the nation.

The witness added he was also acting under a “tacit understanding” when he helped the tycoon’s push for an unofficial legislative primary election in 2020 by convincing localist hopefuls to take part.

Separately, Chan was asked to explain a series of “strictly confidential messages” Lai forwarded to the paralegal in April 2020 in relation to the US stance on sanctions.

One message said Washington was “not optimistic” about the move given the severity of the Covid-19 pandemic at the time.

The trial continues on Tuesday.