China summons Western envoys in Hong Kong over Jimmy Lai sentencing criticism

Explainer: How national security judges sentenced Jimmy Lai, from health records to foreign collusion

The sentencing hearing for Hong Kong pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai on Monday lasted less than 10 minutes. Journalists and police officers outside the West Kowloon Law Courts Building on February 9, 2026, ahead of the sentencing of pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. Judge Esther Toh read out only the total sentences for each of the eight defendants in the high-profile national security trial, as Lai, six former sen…

China summons Western envoys in Hong Kong over Jimmy Lai sentencing criticism

China’s foreign ministry commissioner’s office in Hong Kong said on Saturday it had summoned the heads of the UK, U.S., Australian and European Union missions over their officials’ negative comments on Jimmy Lai’s sentencing.

Chinese officials lodge formal protest against Western diplomatic missions over Lai verdict remarks

Authorities in Hong Kong have summoned foreign diplomats from the United Kingdom, United States, Australia, and the European Union to protest their criticism of a recent court ruling. The dispute follows the twenty year prison sentence handed to media tycoon Jimmy Lai under national security legislation, a move that has sparked a sharp divide between Chinese officials demanding non interference and Western nations voicing concerns over judicial i