Although Lai posted bail, the arrests sent shock waves through Hong Kong and raised eyebrows in Taiwan. Especially concerning was the date the Hong Kong police appear to have chosen to make the arrests. The arrests came shortly after China sentenced Swedish national Gui Minhai (桂民海), one of the owners of the Causeway Bay Books bookstore in Hong Kong, to 10 years in prison. This has particularly been the case since Luo Huining (駱惠寧) was appointed head of China’s Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in Hong Kong. The question is, is this a point that escaped Luo and Xi, or was it their intention to send out a warning of a “Hong Kong 228”?

Source: Taipei Times March 03, 2020 15:56 UTC