On Friday, Beijing ruled that Hong Kong's leader has the right to decide whether foreign lawyers can participate in national security cases in the city - a decision that could effectively block prominent pro-democracy publisher Jimmy Lai from hiring a British lawyer to defend a high-profile lawsuit..

[see_also ids\u003d"

China's top legislature has issued a legal interpretation that targets foreign lawyers who do not normally practice in the city, according to Chinese news agency Xinhua..

His decision could overturn a previous Hong Kong high court ruling allowing Jimmy Lai, founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper, to hire Timothy Owen to defend against collusive charges..

Friday's decision marked the sixth time that communist Beijing has intervened in the legal affairs of the former British colony, which was promised "

The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress said that the city courts should obtain a certificate from the head of the city on whether foreign lawyers can handle such cases..

If the courts do not make a decision, then the decision should be made by the city committee for ensuring national security, chaired by the head of the city, added.

When asked about the certification process, Hong Kong chief Lee said he would review all information available to him to assess whether a particular activity is relevant to national security..

" Thus, the legal interpretation did not give the chief executive more powers,"

Lee also said the city government will actively consider amending the Lawyers Ordinance and pass its own national security law as soon as possible..

Attempts by the Hong Kong government in 2003 to enact their own security laws, as required by the city's constitution, came to nothing..

Eric Lai, a fellow at the Georgetown Center for Asian Law, said the city's new interpretation of rights has hurt its judicial independence because it allows the national security committee to overrule a court's final decision..

"

In national security cases, the right of defendants to choose their lawyers is now controlled by the administrative authority, he added..

The national security law led to the arrests of many prominent pro-democracy activists and undermined confidence in the future of the international financial center..

Lai, who was sentenced to five years and nine months in prison on Dec. 10 in a separate fraud case, is accused of conspiring with others to engage in hostile activities against Hong Kong or China.. He also faces charges of conspiring with foreign forces to endanger national security and a separate charge of sedition under colonial-era law increasingly used to stifle dissent..

His trial, originally scheduled to begin on December 1, has been delayed until September 2023 as the city awaits Beijing's decision..