• Former Hong Kong media tycoon, Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, testified about financial connections to US officials.
• Lai acknowledged payments exceeding HK$13 million for consultancy services to bolster Taiwan’s defenses.
• The ongoing national security trial examines Lai’s alleged collusion with foreign forces.
• Prosecutors challenge Lai's claims to have avoided influencing foreign policy toward China.
• Key figures in Lai’s testimony include former US Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz and General Jack Keane.

In a high-profile national security trial unfolding in Hong Kong, former media magnate Jimmy Lai Chee-ying testified that he facilitated connections between Taiwan and former US officials. In his recent hearings, Lai admitted to linking three ex-US officials with Taiwan to provide advice regarding foreign relations, while asserting that he did not act as a “middleman” with intentions to harm China’s interests. His testimonies reveal insights into Lai's extensive engagements aimed at modernizing Taiwan's military, including a suggestion to hire American military advisors, underscoring his strategic vision to enhance Taiwan's defense capabilities amidst escalating tensions with Beijing. Lai, 77, has been embroiled in a legal battle facing charges of collusion with foreign forces, alongside accusations of conspiring to disseminate seditious material, originally levied against his now-defunct Apple Daily tabloid newspaper.

During his testimony, Lai acknowledged having paid more than HK$13 million (around US$1.93 million) to two retired US officials, Jack Keane and Paul Wolfowitz, in exchange for their consulting services aimed at bolstering Taiwan’s military forces. The payments were further examined by prosecutors, who previously indicated that Lai made the payments under a verbal agreement and claimed that the two officials had never been formally contracted. Notably, Lai conveyed that $750,000 per year was paid to each of the two officials over a specified consultancy period, as detailed in messaging logs presented during the trial. Additionally, he addressed unexpected expenses relating to Antonio Chiang, a former aide to Taiwanese leader Tsai Ing-wen, whom he mistakenly compensated for consultancy services, expressing his shock upon discovering the ongoing payments.

Lai's defense strategy centers around discrediting the prosecution's narrative, particularly in response to the suggestion that he had orchestrated diplomatic engagements on Taiwan's behalf. As such, Lai emphasized his long-term connections with US political figures and indicated a desire to develop Taiwan into a leverage point against mainland China, asserting, "I wanted the US government to use Taiwan as leverage against Beijing.” This pivotal courtroom drama is set to continue, with the next hearings scheduled for Monday, as the legal scrutiny on Lai's financial and political engagements intensifies.

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