Don’t threaten Hong Kong’s rule of law if you want close ties, Paul Lam says after Trump win

Any country seeking close ties with Hong Kong should refrain from interfering in the city’s judicial proceedings or threatening its legal professionals, the justice minister has said amid rising political pressure after Donald Trump’s US presidential victory.

Secretary for Justice Paul Lam Ting-kwok also said on Sunday that Hong Kong’s judicial independence remained unaffected by attempts to alter legal practices through comments or actions from abroad.

Lam was responding to speculation over interference in the city’s rule of law following Trump’s re-election.

The US president-elect pledged last month he would “100 per cent” get former media tycoon Jimmy Lai Chee-ying out of China after he secured his second term. Lai is behind bars awaiting the resumption of his high-profile national security trial.

Asked how to address Trump’s often unpredictable moves, which could include sanctioning all the city’s judges, Lam said any interference targeting the judiciary would run counter to the rule of law.

“Anyone attempting to use statements or actions to demand changes to our judicial procedures or try to influence the [judicial] outcomes is, of course, violating the principles of the rule of law, and such behaviour is inappropriate,” he said on a television show.