Trump says he raised case of Hong Kong’s Jimmy Lai with Xi

U.S. President Donald Trump stated that he addressed the imprisonment of Hong Kong businessman Jimmy Lai with Chinese President Xi Jinping during their recent summit, though he did not disclose if any outcomes were achieved. When questioned by reporters on Wednesday about whether he brought up Lai's case or the plight of U.S. detainees in China, Trump merely mentioned that they had "very, very important discussions — hopefully, fruitful discussions." He refrained from naming any specific instances during the conversation.

Trump faced pressure to advocate for high-profile humanitarian cases during his summit with Xi. Among these cases was that of U Min Zin, a U.S. academic who was detained after attending a conference in China at the government's invitation, with the State Department deeming his detention unlawful and emphasizing the importance of U.S. citizens' well-being and safety in China. Another American, seismologist Youlin Chen, is also reportedly being wrongfully held captive in China.

The U.S. has previously raised concerns about detention cases with Xi, including that of Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri, the head of a significant underground Chinese church, who was eventually released by China. However, the case of Jimmy Lai, a British citizen and media mogul who founded the now-defunct pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily in Hong Kong, has proven to be more difficult.

Lai was sentenced to 20 years in prison for collusion and sedition under a national security law following the paper's closure amid Beijing's crackdown. This decision sparked international outrage and scrutiny of the security law, which critics have labeled as draconian and a means for Beijing to suppress dissent.