Transcripts For CSPAN2 Advocate 20240705 : vimarsana.com

At 10 00 a. M. Eastern dilip coverage of the u. S. Supreme work oral argument and 8 00 p. M. Recap the events and take your calls. Watch live coverage of the u. S. Supreme court beginning thursday at 7 00 a. M. Eastern washington journal on cspan, cspan now our free mobile video out or online at cspan. Org. Discussing the challenges to freedom in hong kong and china. The Steamboat Institute in beavercreek colorado. It runs 40 minutes. You see violent people. The rest people. It is a dark contrast of what they may and hong kong is where many people do this. In the end, the only thing is trust. How are you want to do business with the government that is no untrustworthy and the press. So the moment he landed in hong kong when he was 12, the first day he went to work in a sweatshop factor viii. They were he still has these scars from that time. One of his fingers was partially cup by a machine. He remembers that time. If you asked him about it is a very happy time in his life because for him it was his freedom. As bill puts it so well, in the movie that we saw, the short that we saw, seeing him come get he went from that to starting his own manufacturing. And then he decided that the retail margins were actually much smaller. He started. The presence of giordano was essentially a ground that would have a very limited amount of clothing in different colors. But at a very high quality and very cheap price. The person, one of the inspirations that he has was giordano. All of that was well and jolly. Before that, i think everyone assumed china was getting more liberal and a societal sent as the group. It is where dad realized that would not be the case. It was in 1995. Does he believe that information is choice and choices freedom. The people needed and independent and unfailing source of information. Nodded and i am the owner of it. I cannot just jump ship. We will stay. Our media will stay here at close our business. It is impossible. This is not just, it is not loyal integrity. Which it takes. If i do that, i teach my grandkids. My wife will despise me what kind of man what i become. Horrible. How many years do i have to live around 20 years . Who would do that . Are you crazy . No. I will face them. I think that that gives you a sense of the kind of a man that jimmy is and the risk that he faces israel had i want to talk about the National Security ball , the communist party, now, this is a vault that outlaws dissent, it is a law that is extremely ambiguous so you do not know where the line is for speech that is offensive, but it is a vault that is punishable by up to life in prison he had that is what your father is facing right now. Can you talk about the legal status of his cases. They recently delayed his trial that was meant to happen in september. September the 24th. This is the fourth time they have delayed it and essentially, you know, as jim has said, he is 75 right now. So, carrying a life sentence. Even if he has 10 years, basically the same as a life prison sentence. He has been in jail for three years. I want to talk about the conditions that we know jimmy is in right now. The press was able to break some news earlier this month. What they were saying is he is in solitary confinement. He is in a maximum security prison 23 hours a day he is in his jail cell and there is no air conditioning unit hong kong is hot in the summer. 90 degrees and 100 humidity. He gets for the minutes a day for exercise. This is a loan surrounded by barbed wire. This is what your father is facing for standing up for his principles. How is he holding up . Do you have any word of that . What you think is giving him the strength to carry on right now . I have not seen him for three years since he was arrested yet i cannot really go back to hong kong. It is used very arbitrary as well. I know his faith is very important. My father is a very religious man. In order to stand up for what you believe and truly and put everything you have to it, religion is huge. I think that, knowing he has done the right thing, knowing that he stood up for his beliefs and his psychologic is what keeps him very strong as well. People are inspired by his story but, again, you know, at that age, those people would be tired or, you know, they are enjoying their life. Yeah. It is very sad to hear about the present conditions. Absolutely. I want to play another clip of my interview with your father. Just talking about the importance of that and that grounding. We dont have weapons. We dont have that. We must accept our order power. Which is exact what the Chinese Government dont have the that is exactly where we can win. So, when we are talking about the National Security ball, one thing i would like the audience to understand, this is for very good reason, how broad it is. The Chinese Government is not only trying to outline, the National Security law claims the authority to censor and suppress and punish speech anywhere in the world. It claims the power to crack down on social media companies. Have them handover information it it claims the authority to order them to remove holes. If anyone passes through china who has offended them through the National Security law, they are at risk. I want you guys to know that. Sebastian actually has some ideas about ways you can help his father. Standing in solidarity with his father, you will be taking a risk and perhaps you should not travel through hong kong. Sebastian, can you tell me a little bit about what this audience can do to support your father. I understand that they are postcards. Postcards in front of you. I would be very grateful. Just to know that, you know, historian lives in peoples minds. These postcards are on your table. We are letting you know now so you can write a message of solidarity. You can let them know that youre thinking about him and praying for him. I am sure he will take a lot of comfort in that. We will have somebody towards the end of the session go through and collect these postcards. We will also take a photograph. On your table you got the spirit i will stand up at the end and take a group photo that you can promote on social media. Free jimmy live. Chinese government has facial recognition software. The National Security laws no joke had i am always inspired and i hope you are as well. I want to play another clip you geared i think when your father is going through is important for understanding the nature of the communist party. I have been disturbed by among my generation, some of the United States and europe think socialism is cool again. Communism is cool again. Jimmy is a capitalist and i asked him about this. Here is what he had to say. I think are those that have never had a history in their life. In general, i think people know that. It is totally lies. So you will, unfortunately, have that experience in your blood. What does hong kong say about the communist party what is your fathers case say about the communist party . Hong kong is the representation of how china used values of freedom. And what is happened in hong kong is essentially an exercise in the crack down of a free society. It happened so quick. I mean, within five years. Everything that you could do, what do you say, read what you want to read it that normally is not the case. I think that, yeah, i think that is one of those historical moments where people will look back and say this is when china decided these ideas would not work. It is worth noting that the language i use is not necessarily a clash of ideals. I am sure many of you would know that the elites in hong kong and in china, you send that can to the free world. It is one of those things, going back to the idea of more authority. Only history will tell what happens to hong kong. It is very hard to imagine a place with the very idealism. On that, i want to take an audience question. What is the future of hong kong as a business hub under the National Security law. Can they survive under the law as a National Financial center . Perhaps, more important, what is the future for people stuck in hong kong . That is a question we can all ask ourselves. Are we willing to trade a place where contracts may not be upheld. We may offend someone. We may end up in jail. The thing is the lives that they have is, it is not necessarily where have the lines we should not step over or you get in trouble. The extent where, you know, this social media post, she got arrested and you dont really know where it is. It is always a moving target and in those circumstances it is impossible. I think with what is happening to my father, you cannot have someone in prison hill is entirely innocent, take everything away from him and tell people we are still tending to business. It is as simple as that. For the people of hong kong, i think a lot of people are leaving here at everybody throws a party on their way out. The numbers of the occupancy. Got it. Even if they are happy, it is not a place where they want their kids to do that. Got it. Going back to the experience of communism, the firsthand experience, this cannot be easy on you and your family. Can you talk about the emotional impact . You are in the United States speaking on his behalf. What is it like this carry on his legacy and speak when he cannot speak . It is worth noticing that my dad escape china when my grandfather who was an industrialist, you got everything taken away from him. Dad decided to, you know, sort of tries love, not try his luck, escape on a fishing boat. A whole another story. He knows how they are. He knows the consequences. He does not have, what is the word, he has no illusions about what could happen. And, so, as his son, i mean, for one, i am incredibly inspired by what he is doing. I think that that is partially why because it is someone that is honestly, was accepted in that system. The system did very well for him made a lot of money and he turned around and said, these freedoms do matter. We do want democracy. This is how our Society Moves forward. For someone to be willing to sacrifice all of that to sign up for these ideals, too many in hong kong are intangible. The freedoms are intangible. It is inspirational. I am incredibly worried for him. The cheapest weapon they have geared once they know that you feel it, they have you in their pockets. It is very hard. This is something your dad stood up to very long time geared i remember hearing about how your family home was firebombed. Death threats. What is it about your father, specifically the he seems like the communist partys public enemy number one. What is so dangerous about the free press . Dad does not look at it in terms of adversarial. How do people see him . He has no ill will towards other people. I think that that is what makes what he does dangerous because he is not looking for power or anything. Just a man who is doing the right thing and that is running a free press. Running a free press that does not leverage power to, for more money and whatnot. It is those ideals that he stands five. Also those ideas that he felt like gave them so much in hong kong. These freedoms that he felt really made him thrive from the refugee to what he is today. Audit geared weve talked a lot about the role of capitalism and changing his life and shaping his ideology. I would like you to tell me more about his faith and the pillar of who jimmy is. I think, so, he turned catholic around the time basically because of, i mean, i think the first, the start of it was my mother was very catholic. He always felt like he was given a lot. He always felt like, obviously, he worked incredibly hard, he always felt like he was very lucky. I think that he could never really explain it he could never really explain it and so i think at some point they just connected. Maybe it was a hanover or whatever it is and he felt like you can ration, look, rationing, it is in a authoritarian government it is much better to establish the government. So, i think it was that i of i know this was the right thing. Religion for him was like a guiding light. That is interesting to bring up. When he speaks about moral authority, the communist party has been an enemy of religion. An authoritarian government squishing that out. I just want to note how much moral power that has. We told you what you could do to help, jimmy. I am getting a lot of questions about what your father could help for or ask for from the americans. How is the free world responding to that right now . Are they doing enough . A lot has been done. We are trying to be grateful. I think, what he is doing is very much, it is something that the People Living in the u. S. Intuitively understand it signing up on behalf of freedom. The uk has spoken up more for him as of late. And i think it is really one of these cases where his trial is coming up and the free will has to make it known to hong kong that they can have their cake and eat it, too. They have to be accountable to their action. Free press. Telling People Freedom of expression and, my dad is entirely innocent. There is no basis and why would publish billing, why would a publisher of a newspaper wind up in jail . That is not a thing that a society, it is not coherent with what you say. Your father refused to plead guilty. He has done that even though there would be potentially hope of leniency, hope of release. Why is it so important that this trial continue and what cannot communicate to the world with where we are with china, hong kong and the communist party. He refuses to plead guilty because he is not guilty. One of the cases that he got, charges that he got, he went to the vigil to commemorate and he lit a candle and set a prayer. It is just morally, i mean, it is crazy. He pleaded not guilty. He has not guilty. Everybody knows. Sorry, what was the second question . When his case does proceed to trial, what does that communicate . What will it reveal to the world mainly in china and hong kong. I think his case will show the world what hong kong thinks. Whether hong kong is willing to sacrifice it self as a Financial Center for this vendetta or are they willing to stick to their words. Reminding everyone that will always be reminding everyone. Going back to another audience question there are can you tell me about his i think from that is where we believed this and theres a funny anecdote [inaudible] and gives him a lecture. An amazing thing because it was so fascinating. It was incredible. A lot of the markets are based on these views. Your father paid a price and you are paying a price presuming you cant go back to hong kong. Can you tell me a little bit more about what youre sacrificing to stand up for your father . I lost a home and whatnot for me i dont really view it as, i dont view what im doing is a sacrifice. I think [inaudible] coming out here and speaking to you all and doing everything i have to do something i have to be doing as long as i see my father. Its a sacrifice for me and the side for freedom as well. Its not just your father. In hong kong opposition and at the movement i remember in january, 2021 there were about 47 prodemocracy activists arrested. Weve seen prodemocracy activists, it is the wiping out of in a entire movement. I wonder if you can speak about how it is being enforced for the figures like your father but also everyday people who went out and marched on the streets. It is this idea of fear. Everybodys afraid because you never know when youre going to cross the line. Its a horrible situation where the governments tell people its a free place when just reading the news you realize so theres this blanket of fear covering. I know theres a database that maintains looking through some of the apps that are being certified. Is there one where somebody played a song he didnt like on their harmonica and they are now facing years in prison. You mentioned a case of the students in japan that made a social media post, came back to hong hong kong. Do you think that fighting spirit will survive . Hong kong is a place of refugees. The freedom given to them there was a place where they couldnt say what they wanted to say. This idea of being displaced is not just in hong kong but a hong kong story. I think the people of hong kong have a good chance to do well in a free society. Anybody accepting them would be very lucky. I want to talk about how hong kong has changed. You mentioned the individuals and i remember being first year out of college it would be a wall of people standing there with candles lit, it was so electric and moving especially the discussion of recognition of the sacrifice of the martyrs of Tiananmen Square. It was meaningful to see that commemorative on chinese oil. You cant do that there now. Where do you see that legacy come about commemoration of people like your father that have given up everything to stand for democracy. Where is that acknowledgment isstill happening in the world . I think its worth going back to what it actually meant because it was one of those things where peaceful students went out to the streets and it was a very horrendous thing to have happened and i think the fact that part of history is an incredible they kind of absorbed themselves. The democracy it shows what the autocracy is if it does something wrong and then it goes back. I dont know what the story is but its a story of freedom and i guess thats important for people in the free world especially when they are dealing with china. With that of the Tiananmen Square massacre we dont know how many people died. Theres a list put together and i would encourage you all to look at it. You see people shot in the straight and the government doesnt want that memory held anymore. But there was a lot of fear and talk about Tiananmen Square. This was preceded differently. What do you think exchanged that they would handle hong kong differently and how bad can it possibly get in hong kong . I think it was a deep mistake. It was done in a much more i guess intelligently. But in the sense that if you remember back in the protests, they managed to make it so that there was this hate speech, and they did that. They managed to crack down on hong kong but i think thats one of those you can see that china has become and a lot of these copy each other. They see what someone else is doing and then they themselves do it. In the past couple of years i am so inspired by your father, the greatest person i know so thank you for speaking on his behalf. If you would like to be in the photo, please we will take a couple of questions across the audience and i will remind you this isnt without legal risk and you might want to think about this if you are going to hong kong or mainland china. Okay. Hold that thought. Are you ready . You are allowed to take these with you. Feel free to take it around. We want to call as much attention to the case and what hes standing for and this is something that