The situation is quite complicated, but generally speaking, if we want to achieve our goals, any goal, with the governments of China and Hong Kong, it’s important to create the right conditions and to build strong relationships between leaders, senior officials and institutions.
That doesn’t mean accepting China’s position. However, it’s important to build relations to at least have some dialogue and to negotiate in order to explore all options. That’s the transactional nature of the Chinese Communist Party and now the Government of Hong Kong.
To secure Jimmy Lai’s release, it will ultimately be necessary to negotiate with the Government of Hong Kong and the Chinese Communist Party to determine what they want in exchange for Mr. Lai’s release and to resolve the situation.
At the very least, we need to be optimistic and have confidence that Prime Minister Carney and President Xi Jinping will have the opportunity to resolve this issue. That doesn’t mean that we accept China’s moral or ethical stance.