China crackdown on Hong Kong under spotlight as leading democrat goes on trial

A long-awaited national security trial opens in Hong Kong on Monday for leading China critic and media tycoon Jimmy Lai, who faces possible life imprisonment on charges he colluded with foreign forces, including the United States.
Foreign envoys, business people and legal scholars will be watching the trial closely, saying it looms as a fresh diplomatic flashpoint and a key test for the city’s judicial independence and freedoms under the sweeping national security law imposed by China in 2020.
Lai, whom China’s foreign ministry this week called a “notorious anti-China element”, faces several charges under the law, including collusion with foreign forces – a count that involves calling for sanctions against Hong Kong and Chinese officials.
He also faces a charge under older sedition laws, with six senior journalists and executives at Lai’s Apple Daily newspaper also arrested. Lai has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Lai is already serving a 5-year, 9-month jail term for a fraud conviction over a lease dispute for his newspaper.