Taiwan’s parliamentary speaker Yu Shyi-kun has praised Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai for persisting in his ideals despite facing political persecution in Hong Kong.

Lai was charged with “collusion with a foreign country or with external elements to endanger national security” on Friday and will remain in custody until a hearing in April next year.

Yu quoted United States Vice President Mike Pence on Facebook, saying that Lai was a “hero.” Lai had 100 reasons to leave Hong Kong, but he chose to stay, Yu said.

“His persistence in his ideals was moving and admirable,” Yu said.

The charges against Lai were “an affront to freedom loving people around everywhere,” Pence tweeted on Saturday morning with a photo of him and Lai.

“Jimmy Lai is a hero and I remain inspired by his stand for democracy & the rights that were promised to the people of Hong Kong,” he wrote, adding the hashtag #FreeJimmyLai.

Kaohsiung lawmaker Huang Chieh wrote on Facebook that while Lai was jailed, CTi News owner Tsai Eng-meng was still laughing as his channel was officially off the air. CTi news had its license renewal banned by the Taiwan regulator, which accused the pro-Beijing channel of violating journalistic standards.

China is not only creating white terror in Hong Kong, but a complete wipe out of democratic voices by using a draconian law that could send Lai to face trial in mainland China, Huang said. China is using the opportunity of the transfer of the U.S. administration to handle its geopolitical conflicts, with Taiwan being the next target, Huang warned.

Press and speech freedoms are universal values, and the arrest of Lai showed the “one country, two systems” principle in Hong Kong was a lie, said Taiwanese rapper Dwagie, who is known for his politically-charged songs.

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