After the Hong Kong government formally congratulated US president-elect Joe Biden on the phone, the city’s National Security Department and police, obviously under the instructions of the Beijing authorities, launched a large-scale operation to settle the score with the Occupy Central Movement and Anti-extradition Movement. Within less than a week, Joshua Wong, Agnes Chow and Ivan Lam were sent to jail, and Jimmy Lai was quickly charged with a new crime after his detainment. As the new charge has elevated Lai’s case to a new level, i.e., whether he has violated the National Security Law, a jail sentence is foreseeable. While all that was happening, there were even more prominent activists being detained and charged.

Such a series of actions was carried out within a short period of time, showing that there was an organized, orchestrated and premeditated plan. In face of such “red terror”, Hong Kong people are full of shock, helplessness, fear, and despair. All this is exactly what Xi Jinping desires. In other words, by ordering such a crackdown, Xi and the CCP seek to crush Hong Kong people’s resolve to fight by targeting their spirits, willpower, and collective psyche.

The insult to Jimmy Lai is the clearest evidence. Lai, who has been charged with violating the National Security Law, was denied bail and will remain in custody until April next year, when he will go on trial. The refusal of bail is itself very unreasonable. As everyone knows, Jimmy Lai could have left Hong Kong very early on if he had intended to. But he openly stated that he would rather face prosecution than leave Hong Kong. His considerable assets and Apple Daily and Next Digital Limited that he founded remain in Hong Kong, so does his family. And we do not have to mention that Hong Kong is scattered with Chinese public security agents who closely monitor Lai’s every move and word. Even the media pays close attention to Lai as well.

Under the circumstances, Lai does not have an incentive or possibility to skip bail and flee the city no matter how you look at his case. Still, his application for bail was turned down. This is no longer a legal issue, but a political one.

The most shocking episode came when Lai was arraigned with chains around his waist. Lai is an old man in his seventies. He is not a Kung Fu master or a notorious robber. Given the high security that accompanied Lai’s transferal, which made it impossible for him to even take a few running steps, was it necessary to chain him up in such a way? I would say it was not even 1% necessary. There is only one reason for such a treatment, i.e., to humiliate Jimmy Lai.

The picture was so disheartening that is, unsurprisingly, featured prominently in the media reports of Western countries. The Hong Kong government, police, Beijing and Xi could not have failed to foresee that. They could have ensured that the scene would not be captured by the cameras of journalists. But their operation was such that the picture must be seen by everyone in the world, the people of Hong Kong in particular. They paid no attention to the international outcry, since what they wanted to do was to insult Jimmy Lai and the people of Hong Kong openly.

I have to stress the word “insult”, because it is one level above intimidation. If the Beijing authorities merely intended to intimidate Hong Kong people, the quick succession of arrests and the heavy sentencing of the activists would have achieved their aims already. Pictures of Lai in chains would have been absolutely unnecessary. The only possible explanation is “insults”. First, of course, the insult is to Lai himself. It shows Beijing’s fierce anger at Lai, who has refused to buckle under such considerable political pressure. Such anger, almost on a personal level, impelled Xi not only to punish Lai, but also to humiliate him. That a major power like China has resorted to such a way to humiliate an unarmed old man shows that the CCP regime under Xi’s leadership has completely put aside its façade of decency.

When it comes to Hong Kong, only an insult can give Xi Jinping a sense of satisfaction. This is because, in a speech made by Di Dongsheng, Xi’s adviser, we can see that the CCP can bring senior politicians in Western countries (such as the US) to heel with US dollars. But such arrogance and swagger have met with strong resistance in Hong Kong.

Furthermore, in the confrontation between Hong Kong and Beijing, there is no doubt that Hong Kong has scored an absolute moral victory. For Xi Jinping, who is full of confidence about himself, there is no greater humiliation than this, and that also poses a serious challenge to his authority in the CCP and China. Xi’s hatred towards Hong Kong people and their representatives such as Joshua Wong and Jimmy Lai is hardly unimaginable. This is the fundamental reason why Beijing must go to such extraordinary lengths to humiliate Jimmy Lai and Hong Kong people.

(Wang Dan is founder of the think tank Dialogue China.)

Click here for Chinese version

We invite you to join the conversation by submitting columns to our opinion section: [email protected]

Apple Daily reserves the right to refuse, abridge, alter or edit guest opinion columns for accuracy, length, clarity, and style, and the right to withdraw and withhold columns based on the discretion of our editorial page editors.

The opinions of the writers do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editorial board.

---------------------------------

Apple Daily’s all-new English Edition is now available on the mobile app: bit.ly/2yMMfQE

To download the latest version,

iOS: bit.ly/AD_iOS

Android: bit.ly/AD_android

Or search Appledaily in App Store or Google Play