Apple Daily encouraged support for radical Hong Kong protesters, spread anti-Chinese Communist Party beliefs at Jimmy Lai’s request, court hears

Cheung, a defendant turned prosecution witness, said the articles were consistent with Lai’s instructions to promote unity among protesters by blurring the lines between peaceful and radical participants.

“That means we need both peaceful and brave protesters to resist together in order for the movement to be successful. Division among ourselves may isolate the more radical ones,” Cheung told West Kowloon Court on the 14th day of the national security trial, paraphrasing what he said were Lai’s thoughts “at the time”.

He noted the tycoon was supportive of protesters even if they decided to “stage a riot” or “come out to smash shops”.

“He didn’t consider it as anything noteworthy. He only felt the youngsters were very brave and dedicated to the movement,” he said.

Defendant turned prosecution witness Cheung Kim-hung in custody in 2021. He says his former boss, Jimmy Lai, was supportive of protestors even when they chose to ‘smash shops’. Photo: Dickson Lee

Lai, 76, has denied two conspiracy charges of collusion with foreign forces under the Beijing-decreed national security law, and a third count of conspiracy to print and distribute seditious publications under colonial-era legislation.

Cheung and five Apple Daily senior executives are awaiting sentencing behind bars after pleading guilty to a conspiracy charge of foreign collusion. He and two others have agreed to help the prosecution in exchange for shorter sentences.

Prosecutors argued Lai was the mastermind of an anti-China conspiracy linked to Apple Daily, where he had complete control over its editorial policies.

They drew the court’s attention to Apple Daily’s “reading assistance scheme”, launched in 2019 to encourage readers to sponsor student subscriptions of the newspaper’s paid digital content.

Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai told staff to run ‘pro-resistance’ stories: trial

Cheung said Lai had hoped to enable teenagers to follow Apple Daily online without having to pay.

“He praised [the teenagers] for their sacrifices made to protect their homeland, and hoped that they could continue to read [Apple Daily] news stories,” the ex-publisher said.

Cheung said his former boss had also asked him in April 2020 to approach Canada-based writer Ngan Shun-kau, who later agreed to write commentary pieces for Apple Daily under the pseudonym Fong Yuen, comprising Chinese characters which mean square and round.

Lai lauded Ngan for his critiques of the Chinese Communist Party and his anti-government stance, the witness said.

Cheung added the articles written by the newspaper’s two editorial writers, Fung Wai-kong and Yeung Ching-kee, also carried an anti-China tone.

Hong Kong court rejects bid by Jimmy Lai to block witness’ ‘irrelevant’ evidence

In an article celebrating Apple Daily’s 25th anniversary in May 2020, Lai floated the idea that a new English-language edition would provide the newspaper with “political protection” against Beijing “closing in” on Hong Kong, the court heard.

The tycoon also claimed it was “not difficult” for the content of the Alibaba-owned South China Morning Post, the city’s major English newspaper, “to be controlled by the Chinese Communist Party”.

Lai also made an ironic response to Beijing’s accusation that foreign powers had pulled the strings behind the city’s largest demonstrations in 2019.

“The [Chinese Communist Party] is bold and confident, but they are also bold and confident when they lie. In short, they are always right. Yes, we do not have [the support of] any foreign power, but now there is no choice, it has to be [about] foreign power!” he wrote.

“The more support we have from foreigners, governments and politicians, the more support we have from worldwide public discourse and diplomatic attention, the more [we are likely to] preserve the freedom of the rule of law in Hong Kong. Long live foreign powers!”

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