G20: the tense moment when the UK questioned Xi Jinping and Chinese officials expelled the press

The Prime Minister of United Kingdom Keir Starmer I met him Chinese president Xi Jinping in the G20 summit in Brazil where he assured that He wanted a “strong relationship” between the two countries.

He is the first British leader to meet Xi in more than six years, after relations recently deteriorated over disagreements over democracy in Hong Kong. Previously, the last Prime Minister to meet with China was Theresa May in 2018.

Starmer, who became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in July this year, is now seeking to improve relations with the Chinese leader.

“We want our relationships to be consistent, lasting, respectful, as we have agreed, and to avoid surprises as much as possible” noted Starmer, slogan BBC .

During the bilateral meeting with Xi, the prime minister also discussed complex issues such as the situation of the Hong Kong pro-democracy activist. Jimmy Lai , who is found detained since 2020 after being accused of violating the national security law of China’s semi-autonomous region in southern China.

Starmer began by reporting that his Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, had traveled to Beijing to meet Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to discuss “respective concerns, including human rights, parliamentary sanctions , Taiwan, the South China Sea and our common interest in Hong Kong. »

Shortly after, he voiced his concerns about Jimmy Lai. As soon as the case was raised during the meeting, the journalists present in the room were evacuated. he emphasized Associated Press .

“We are concerned about reports of Jimmy Lai’s deteriorating health in prison. » declared Starmen during the G20 summit held in Rio de Janeiro.

Lai, 76, is a Hong Kong activist and founder of Apple Daily, one of the best-selling Chinese newspapers in the region and closed in 2021.

The businessman, who also has British nationality, is known to be one of the most prominent figures in Hong Kong’s pro-democracy camp, which has led to him being arrested on numerous occasions.

The last occurred in December 2020, after the approval of the controversial national security law in the Chinese special administrative region and accused of “endangering national security”, according to the Hong Kong authorities.

Lai has been in prison ever since and his case has alarmed human rights groups and Western governments.

The trial against Lai is expected to resume this week, where he will have to testify after several years of silence. He faces charges such as sedition, conspiracy and collusion with foreign forces and if he is found guilty, could face life in prison .

The charges stem from the media mogul’s alleged demands for international sanctions against mainland China and Hong Kong through his defunct Apple Daily newspaper, and incited “public hatred” against authorities during protests. anti-government actions that took place. in 2019. Lai pleaded not guilty to all charges.

The businessman is also serving a sentence of 5 years and 9 months in prison for a fraud offense linked to the lease of his multimedia company.

The lawyer’s recent statements add to the tense moment experienced by the British Prime Minister with Xi. Caoilfhionn Gallagher which depicts Jimmy Lai and his son.

The defender, who is from law firm Doughty Street Chambers, argued that the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention had determined that the tycoon’s arrest was carried out illegally and arbitrarily reports the EFE agency.

Gallagher referred to a report from September this year in which the agency expressed concern that Lai had been in solitary confinement for four years.

The Hong Kong government responded emphatically that Lai’s detention was legal and that it was he who had requested the isolation for security reasons. A government spokesperson for the semi-autonomous region said “legal professionals must act on the basis of facts and evidence”, adding that some had spread false information about Lai’s treatment in prison.