Jimmy Lai pushes through media after being released on bail in Hong Kong on August 12. Photo: AFP

Hong Kong secessionist media tycoon Jimmy Lai encountered indignant local protesters calling him a "traitor" as he went on trial on Thursday for suspicion of threatening a journalist in 2017, which showed a sharp contrast to the US President Donald Trump's comments on him one day before when Trump called Lai a "wonderful gentlemen" and "brave man."

The trial finished around 13:30 pm and will continue on Friday, according to Hong Kong media.  

The comparative difference in the two side's comments further reveals the US never respects facts or the laws of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), but its only aim is to contain China, Chinese experts said. 

China is a nation ruled by laws and the HKSAR is a society ruled by laws. The HKSAR law enforcement agencies must perform their duties according to laws, Zhao Lijian, spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said at a routine press conference on Thursday in response to Trump's comments on Lai. 

Lai was charged with threatening a journalist in June 2017 in Victoria Park. 

The journalist has been diagnosed with adjustment disorder, according to Hong Kong media.

The trial was held in English and the court allowed two key prosecution witnesses to remain anonymous. 

When Lai arrived at the court at around 9 am, he encountered a number of protesters holding banners and calling him a "traitor." They called for Lai to be severely punished and accused him of harming Hong Kong and local youngsters. 

One day before the hearing, US President Donald Trump called Lai a "wonderful gentleman" and a "brave man" and sent his best wishes to Lai when asked at a White House press conference if he had a message for him.  

Lai is one of the main forces that received support from the US to conduct anti-government actions in Hong Kong. Trump's comments, which sharply contrasted with local residents' comments on Lai, fully reflect that the US has never cared about what is really happening in Hong Kong, neither does the US respect the laws of the Hong Kong region, Tian Feilong, an associate professor at Beihang University in Beijing, told the Global Times on Thursday.  

Trump's comments on Lai only show the US' ideological and strategic aims against China, Tian said, noting that he believed that Lai's crimes would be fully revealed through court trials and he would receive punishment accordingly.

"The justice is in the people," he noted   

Trump's "messages" were mocked by some Twitter users who suggested that "Trump also called himself a hero for the world." 

Users on China's Twitter-like social media platform Sina Weibo also criticized Trump's comments. They saidthat Trump's words were the equivalent of praising terrorists in the US as "brave men."   

Lai, 72, will face a maximum of two years in prison and a fine of HKD$2,000 if convicted. 

Lai was earlier released on HKD$4,000 bail but was not allowed to leave Hong Kong during the bail period. He has tried multiple times to apply with the courts to cancel the restriction, but was refused. 

He has involved himself in five criminal cases with seven charges. On August 10, he was arrested for violating the national security law for Hong Kong, around 40 days after the law was enacted in the city.