His actions prompted China to label him a “traitor” and recently the state-run Global Times wrote that his tweets critical of Beijing and the Hong Kong government could be used against him as evidence of subversion under the new law.
“I have always thought I might one day be sent to jail for my publications or for my calls for democracy in Hong Kong,” Mr Lai wrote soon afterwards in an opinion article carried in the New York Times. “But for a few tweets, and because they are said to threaten the national security of mighty China? That’s a new one, even for me.”
As news spread of Mr Lai’s arrest on Monday, democracy activists took to social media to urge investors to buy shares in his Next Digital company in a show of solidarity, with the “purchasing protest” sending the stock surging by 344 per cent at one point in the day. Last month, Hong Kong officials barred 12 pro-democracy activists from participating in an upcoming legislative election, and then postponed the vote by a year, citing health concerns amid the coronavirus pandemic. Critics claim the move to delay the ballot was political, taken to avoid an embarrassing electoral defeat for the pro-Beijing candidates.
The recent developments in Hong Kong have further strained tensions between the US and China. On Monday Beijing said it would apply sanctions against several US officials, including senators
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