Hong Kong’s Pro-Beijing Press Sells Out Xi Jinping over Jimmy Lai:
What was Wen Wei Po thinking in undercutting Xi Jingping?
One of the enduring myths about Hong Kong was that its residents, living in China’s shadow for decades, possessed an innate savvy for navigating the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). In truth, most—even activists, politicians, and business leaders—grasped little of its inner workings. They mistook polite, or even rude, negotiations with suited officials for mastery over the real power: the shadowy enforcers who crush dissent without mercy. 2019 onwards and nearly five years after the National Security Law, came into effect, that grasp of the evil of the CCP has been sharpened. Yet, the CCP remains a mainlanders game, with Hong Kong people on the outside.
I claim no special gifts, but years of tangling with the CCP’s sharper edges—often losing—have taught me a core truth: The Party plays far rougher internally than it does abroad. Survival hinges on loyalty, and missteps invite ruin. It’s the continuing unsound judgement of the Hong Kong elites, even in the Pro-Beijing press, that has led to the latest misstep. This time by the Hong Kong government.
Consider this recent Wen Wei Po editorial, a mouthpiece for Hong Kong’s pro-Beijing establishment. It betrays Xi Jinping in a spectacular fashion on the matter of Jimmy Lai and President Trump:
https://www.wenweipo.com/a/202511/07/AP690d02f4e4b03ec0cdf4e349.html.
Communist autocrats, whatever their flag, obsess over one thing: clinging to power. This ruthlessness turns inward, as threats rarely come from foreigners but from rivals within. To decode the CCP, ignore the bluster aimed at outsiders; watch the knife fights behind closed doors, where everything of value hangs in the balance.
After consulting with old China Hand friends, so old they even smuggled dissidents out of China, the verdict is clear: This Wen Wei Po piece isn’t for Western ears. It’s a message to Beijing—and, crucially, to Hong Konger’s—insisting President Trump never raised Jimmy Lai at the APEC summit. Erasing inconvenient facts from history is CCP 101. But here’s the twist: In scrambling to bury the story, Wen Wei Po leaves Xi undefended, exposed as weak.
As with any pro-CCP propoganda piece the attacks, in this case on Mr. Lai, form a large part of the article. But brush aside the rote slanders: Lai as violence-monger (a claim that flopped in his national security trial) or foreign puppet (devoid of proof). What’s glaringly absent is any vindication of Xi’s APEC performance. No boast of his deft handling of Trump. No assurance that China’s leader outmaneuvered the U.S. on this front. Instead, the silence screams doubt. These writers imply Xi fumbled the Lai question—too hot for Xi to touch, yet too real for them to ignore.
By denying the exchange outright, they concede their boss lacks the chops to resolve it on China’s terms. This flouts CCP orthodoxy, where loyalty means amplifying triumphs and muting flops. Contrast it with Western politics, where underlings shield the boss or fall on their swords. The Party’s script is stricter: Glory to the leader in victory; invisibility in defeat.
Two cases highlight the betrayal by Wen Wei Po. In 2021, when China swapped the detained Canadians—the “Two Michaels”—for Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou, state media hailed Xi’s orchestration as a masterstroke. The Wall Street Journal claimed sources told them that Xi had swapped hundreds of messages on the deal, burnishing his image as the unerring helmsman.
Flash forward to last month: Beijing unveiled its latest supercarrier. Propaganda gushed that Xi personally greenlit the electromagnetic launch system, crediting him for every rivet. Pattern detected: Successes redound to the paramount leader; embarrassments vanish without trace.
If Wen Wei Po was concerned about President Xi, there never would have been anything written. The summit was a snooze: Trade tweaks for all, no fireworks. Trump raised Lai; Xi said nothing. So why fan the flames? Why not let the whispers fade, as is standard CCP procedure?
Yet Hong Kong’s regime couldn’t resist. In attempting to deny Trump’s mention of Lai, they’re not just gaslighting locals—they’re boxing in Beijing. Wen Wei Po offers Xi no room to move for an issue obviously important for President Trump. For if Xi offers a deal, why did he do it, when Trump never brought it up?
The Lai saga festers: Five years detained, his Apple Daily empire gutted, his voice stifled. No more headlines from the tycoon-turned-one of the worlds most important political prisoners. Even Chinese envoys now murmur to U.S. and U.K. counterparts that it’s time to “resolve” this headache. So why would Wen Wei Po try to undercut any deal?
As I have always argued, and what is now accepted by many I speak with, is the Hong Kong government needs Jimmy Lai to remain as the scapegoat for all that is ill in Hong Kong. Mr. Lai departs, and the focus shifts away from the constant state of threat the government has manufactured.
By scripting denial, Hong Kong’s leaders, through Wen Wei Po, removed part of the process for Xi to address the problem. No way this shot at Xi was not intentional, nor did it go unnoticed in Beijing.
Once more, Hong Kong is the tail wagging the dog. This insubordination may please Hong Kong officials, who hope to keep Jimmy Lai as the cause of all Hong Kong’s problems alive, but it’s a loser’s bet. For Xi, it signals rot in his southern outpost. Xi was undercut, and everyone knows it.
The United Front thrives on unity; fracture it, and the whole edifice crumbles.
Lai endures, the world watches; Starmer and Trump press, and Beijing’s patience with Hong Kong is wearing thin. What was Wen Wei Po thinking?
Jimmy Lai has been in prison for five years. He turns 78 on December 8th. He is clear, as is his family, that he needs years to recover and he is not seeking any political role, no public spotlight. This is a layup for China, Lai’s release helps Xi, and lessens pressure on Hong Kong, and China. Releasing Jimmy also offers Hong Kong leadership a way out.
Why Wen Wei Po has tried to throw a spanner in the works I do not know, but what Beijing now knows is that their southern city’s leadership has an agenda that doesn’t match up with President Xi. (end)
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Please see translation of the November 7th, 2025 Wen Wei Po editorial below.
2025-11-07 04:19:48
“Recently, certain foreign media outlets have claimed that during the China-U.S. summit, the case of Jimmy Lai (Leung Chi-ying) was raised, and that the U.S. side allegedly demanded his release. In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning stated: “Jimmy Lai is a key planner and participant in actions aimed at disrupting China and destabilising Hong Kong. The Central Government of China firmly supports Hong Kong’s judicial authorities in performing their duties in accordance with the law. Hong Kong affairs are purely China’s internal affairs and brook no interference from external forces.” On major matters of principle concerning national security, the Central Government will never engage in political horse-trading. It firmly supports the Hong Kong SAR in handling the Jimmy Lai case lawfully and independently. A small number of foreign media and external forces with ulterior motives are colluding to hype up unverified rumours, attempting to create public pressure, “rescue” Jimmy Lai, and interfere with Hong Kong’s judicial independence — exposing their own ugliness and wasting their efforts in vain.
Outlets like Reuters, who seem to wish chaos upon the world, are citing so-called “informed sources” to spread claims that the U.S. demanded Jimmy Lai be “set free.” Notably, the White House has refused to confirm these reports, and the rumour has fallen apart on its own. This kind of sordid and clumsy drama has been staged repeatedly in recent years. The world has long seen through it, yet the hidden hands behind the scenes never tire of it — truly pathetic and laughable!
Looking at the timeline: just days before the China-U.S. high-level meeting, around 30 anti-China U.S. congressmen jointly signed a letter demanding pressure be put on China and using the occasion to make reckless comments about the Jimmy Lai case. Immediately after the meeting, certain foreign media began fabricating stories, claiming that “releasing Fat Lai” had been raised during the talks. Jimmy Lai’s son, Sebastien Lai — long accustomed to playing the clown — promptly jumped out to express “gratitude.” This absurd circus of anti-China, Hong Kong-destabilising politicians “dancing like demons” imagines that by hyping rumours and applying pressure they can “save” Jimmy Lai. This is nothing but delusional fantasy.
The Jimmy Lai case concerns national security. On issues of safeguarding national security and ensuring the steady and successful implementation of “One Country, Two Systems” in Hong Kong, the Central Government will never compromise or engage in so-called interest swaps. Jimmy Lai cannot be used as a political bargaining chip. The Central Government resolutely supports the Hong Kong SAR in handling the case in strict accordance with the Hong Kong National Security Law and other relevant Hong Kong laws, and will not tolerate interference from external forces.
When responding to media inquiries, a spokesperson for the Hong Kong SAR Government stated that since legal proceedings involving Jimmy Lai are still ongoing, no one should comment on the case. The SAR Government has repeatedly emphasised that all cases, including this one, are handled strictly on the basis of evidence and in accordance with the law. All defendants are tried fairly under applicable Hong Kong laws (including the National Security Law) and with the protections afforded by the Basic Law and the Hong Kong Bill of Rights. The spokesperson stressed that the Hong Kong SAR will continue unswervingly to fulfil its responsibility to safeguard national security and to effectively prevent, stop, and punish acts and activities that endanger national security in accordance with the law.
Hong Kong is a society governed by the rule of law — where laws are upheld and violations are prosecuted. Jimmy Lai has for years acted as a planner and inciter of a series of events aimed at destabilising Hong Kong, and has openly colluded with external forces to endanger national security, repeatedly seeking Western support and engaging in all manner of vile conduct. All of this will be proven by the prosecution’s evidence and adjudicated by an independent judiciary, ensuring Jimmy Lai receives a public, fair, and just trial in full accordance with the law. It is entirely not the place of external forces to interfere.
Moreover, the Lai case is not the first to be tried under national security legislation. The professional standards and impartiality of Hong Kong SAR judges have long been demonstrated, and all attempts by external forces to exert pressure have proven futile. Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in the United States, also emphasised that Jimmy Lai’s crimes have seriously damaged Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability, and any attempt to interfere with Hong Kong’s judicial processes or undermine the rule of law in Hong Kong is doomed to fail.
The lies fabricated and hyped by foreign media and anti-China, Hong Kong-destabilising forces to “rescue” Jimmy Lai only reveal that these forces have run out of tricks. They repeatedly resort to despicable means that violate the spirit of the rule of law, gravely breaching fundamental principles of international law such as non-interference in internal affairs and the basic norms governing international relations. No matter how desperately these anti-China, Hong Kong-destabilising forces try, they cannot save Jimmy Lai, nor can they fool the world.”