China deplores slander against Hong Kong's judiciary after Jimmy Lai's guilty verdict

BEIJING, Dec. 15 (Xinhua) -- China expresses strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to certain countries' blatant slander and smear against Hong Kong's judiciary, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Monday.

Guo made the remarks at a regular news briefing when asked to comment on Jimmy Lai's verdict by the High Court of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, amid claims from Britain and other countries that Hong Kong's judicial and press freedoms have been undermined.

Lai, an instigator of anti-China riots in Hong Kong, was found guilty on Monday on two charges of conspiring to collude with external forces and a charge of conspiracy to publish seditious materials.