Hong Kong’s Jimmy Lai admits to connecting Taiwan with ex-US officials: court

Former Hong Kong media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying has admitted to connecting three ex-United States officials with the Taiwanese government to offer advice on foreign relations and strengthening diplomatic ties with Washington, while denying claims of acting as a “middleman” to harm mainland China’s interests in the region.

Lai also said on Thursday that he had relayed suggestions from two former US officials to ex-Taiwanese leader Tsai Ing-wen about the need to modernise the self-ruling island’s army, such as by hiring retired American generals to help put the military on track to secure up-to-date technologies.

Lai, 77, previously spent 26 days in the witness box contesting two conspiracy charges of collusion with foreign forces and a third of conspiracy to print and distribute seditious publications.

They drew the court’s attention to Lai’s “very close” connections with former deputy US defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz and American army general Jack Keane, whom the tabloid founder described as his friends.