This is significant, although the role of the Premier—nominally number two in the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) hierarchy—is not quite as important as some may think.

Much of the power is now deeply centralised in President Xi Jinping.

Don't get me wrong—it is still a positive sign for our trading relationship to have Li Qiang here, but as his predecessor found out, he holds little actual power.

The visit, however, reminded me of the court case in Hong Kong in which I have been recently named as part of sedition and foreign collusion charges against democracy activists.

I thought I would share this story below as a reminder of what sort of regime Premier Li Qiang represents.

Currently, several court trials are occurring in Hong Kong involving democracy activists.

These cases result from the relatively new National Security Law that Hong Kong passed at Beijing's behest.

It ensures that any questioning of the CCP is unlawful.

One case involves Jimmy Lai and Andy Li.

Jimmy is a 74-year-old Hong Kong businessman and publisher of the now-closed Apple Daily newspaper.

Some may even recall the clothing brand Giordano, which Jimmy created.

Andy Li is a young Hong Konger who co-founded a pro-democracy group during the 2019 protests.

Both have been accused by the Hong Kong government of sedition and colluding with foreign forces.

In Jimmy's case, he's accused of being behind the massive protests in 2019-2020.

The CCP knows these protests were spontaneous across the populace, but they are keen to scapegoat one man.

That he shared thoughts with journalists overseas, such as my friend Benedict Rogers in the United Kingdom, is now deemed a crime by the CCP.

Andy Li - who we reliably understand has been tortured by the CCP authorities - is also accused of talking to foreigners about the situation in Hong Kong.

He is further accused of voluntarily posting web content for the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC).

For this action in particular, I have been named along with Louisa Wall.

She and I wrote a letter, as IPAC co-chairs, back in 2020, asking the New Zealand government to rule out any extraditions to Hong Kong.

Andy is accused of publishing our letter on the IPAC website.

Yes, you have read that right - a man has been arrested, tortured, and taken to court partly because he published a letter two New Zealand MPs wrote to their own government.

Importantly, we are not the only ‘foreign' Members of Parliament mentioned in the case—ours is but a passing mention.

Others from overseas are accused of much more and named specifically as co-conspirators.

So why is Beijing (and Hong Kong) so keen to name people such as Louisa and me, along with at least fifteen others?

As I told Sam Sachdeva at Newsroom, this is the CCP interfering with the work of democratic Members of Parliament.

It intends to create a chilling effect, or warning, to current MPs to not say or write anything that criticises the CCP or calls into question its actions.

The CCP is making it clear that speaking up has a cost—not just for those in Hong Kong but also for those who support them.

Sadly and wrongly, Jimmy and Andy will be found guilty.

The CCP has already determined this result.

If Jimmy and Andy are said to have colluded with ‘foreign forces,' then we are, by extension, the other party involved and also guilty.

This is not a formal charge, of course, but it still means that travel to Chinese-aligned countries comes with serious risk.

There is also a psychological aspect.

It is deeply upsetting to consider that the normal work of a Member of Parliament can be misused in such a way that innocent people will go to prison.

Let's be clear—the trial is a sham, and good people are caught up in it. But this reflects the heart of autocratic regimes, a regime that Premier Li Qiang represents.

So, as New Zealand Ministers meet this man and roll out the red carpet, they might want to spare at least a thought for Jimmy and Andy.

They are ‘just' two people but represent many, many more who are repressed by this Communist regime.

• Simon O'Connor is a New Zealand politician and a former member of the New Zealand House of Representatives for the National Party. He represented the Tamaki electorate from 2011 to 2023. He chaired the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee from 2017 to 2020 and was a member of the Justice Committee from 2021 to 2023.
• First published by Simon O'Connor from On Point

They are former National MP Simon O'Connor and ex-Labour MP Louisa Wall.

Jimmy Lai and Andy Li

Catholic entrepreneur and democracy activist Jimmy Lai is on trial.

He founded the popular pro-democracy Hong Kong newspaper Apple Daily. He was arrested in 2020 under a draconian national security law.

That law criminalises secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign powers. It applies throughout the world.

Lai faces two charges of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces.

Ipac

Lai's alleged links with the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (Ipac) is a focus of his trial.

Ipac is a trans-national cross-party grouping of politicians who are critical of China.

Jailed activist and former Ipac volunteer Andy Li has testified against Lai.

Li is thought to have been tortured before giving evidence, providing prosecutors with a statement against Lai.

He claimed Lai backed an Ipac push for sanctions against Hong Kong over the national security law.

Beijing imposed the 2020 law following pro-democracy protests in the city.

Ipac's founder, Luke de Pulford, says Lai "had nothing whatsoever to do with any of my work on Hong Kong".

The NZ MPs concerns

O'Connor and Wall wonder why, given the potential implications for their safety, foreign affairs officials didn't know their names had featured in the national security trial proceedings.

Wall is "deeply concerned" about this.

"We urge the relevant authorities to promptly reach out to us and provide the necessary assistance and guidance to address this matter with the seriousness it warrants."

She says it is concerning that MFAT seems unaware that she and O'Connor were mentioned during Lai's trial.

She finds it "equally troubling that no one has yet contacted us directly".

Why were Wall and O'Connor named?

Wall and O'Connor are former Ipac New Zealand co-chairs.

A news outlet claims their names came up on March 27.

That was when the prosecution asked Li to confirm he was responsible for publishing a joint statement from the pair on the organisation's website in July 2020.

That statement asked the New Zealand government to rule out extraditions to Hong Kong under the national security law.

Wall and O'Connor argued the law "fundamentally compromises the democracy and rule of law in Hong Kong".

MPs work misused

O'Connor says Hong Kong authorities appeared to be misusing MPs' normal work.

The result is "a somewhat chilling effect" on public debate about China in New Zealand politics.

"I view it as a sham trial. That the normal work of a Member of Parliament here in New Zealand has been misused in a trial of good people [Lai and Li] is both inappropriate and quite upsetting."

MFAT says it had "not been present at any sessions where New Zealand MPs were specifically mentioned".

Source

• Newsroom

Father Robert Sirico, a supporter and friend of Lai's, said during the installation ceremony on Thursday that the sketch is a testimony "not just of Jimmy's struggle but the struggle of all people of Hong Kong" and "all of the people of China, who will, by faith, resist [oppression]."

The large drawing depicts Christ on the cross flanked by eight orange flowers. It was created by Lai in prison, where, according to Father Sirico, he has been kept in solitary confinement for close to 1,500 days.

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The government accused the bishops of using "distorted words" that verge on "contempt of court".

The Archbishop of New York, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop Anthony Fisher of Sydney, Archbishop John Wilson of Southwark and Bishop Alan McGuckian of Raphoe were among the signatories of the appeal launched on 1 November.

They said that Lai's support for democracy through public interventions and his since-closed newspaper, Apple Daily, was no cause for imprisonment.

Lai was arrested in 2020 under a draconian national security law and has been in prison for more than 1,000 days, with prosecutors now threatening a life sentence.

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"Jimmy Lai, Cardinal Joseph Zen, Tonyee Chow Hang-tung, Gwyneth Ho, Lee Cheuk-Yan, and Joshua Wong were nominated because they are ardent champions of Hong Kong's autonomy, human rights, and the rule of law as guaranteed under the Sino-British Declaration and International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights," the announcement from the U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission on China reads.

"The nominees are representative of millions of Hong Kongers who peacefully opposed the steady erosion of the city's democratic freedoms by the Hong Kong government and the government of the People's Republic of China. Through the nomination, the members of Congress seek to honor all those in Hong Kong whose bravery and determination in the face of repression has inspired the world."

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