President Trump said Monday that he urged Chinese leader Xi Jinping to free pro-democracy Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai, who is awaiting sentencing after being convicted of “colluding with foreign forces.”
“I feel so badly. I spoke to President Xi about it, and I asked to consider his release,” Trump commented to reporters about Lai’s sentencing. “He’s an older man, and he’s not well. So I did put that request out. We’ll see what happens.”
Trump did not say when he made the request to Xi. Their last high-profile call, which both described as successful, took place Nov. 24, though they have had several lower-profile exchanges since. Trump said last week he informed Xi of his decision to allow China to purchase advanced Nvidia chips. However, during a face-to-face meeting in South Korea in early November, Trump reportedly raised concerns about Jimmy Lai’s health and urged Xi to free him, saying it could be a step toward improving U.S.-China relations. Sources say Xi acknowledged the request but offered no further response.
Lai, 78, is a prominent pro-democracy advocate and former owner of Hong Kong’s now-defunct Apple Daily. He has been jailed since December 2020 despite serious health concerns.
On Monday, Lai was convicted of “colluding with foreign governments” under China’s National Security Law, imposed to crush Hong Kong’s 2019 pro-democracy movement. The law broadly criminalized dissent, giving authorities sweeping powers to target activists and critics of Beijing’s rule.
The judge who issued Monday’s verdict said there was “no doubt” that Lai “harbored hatred” toward China, citing his repeated calls for U.S. support for Hong Kong. Lai was also convicted of publishing “seditious material” through Apple Daily. His lawyers said the ruling was so extensive they needed time to review it before filing an appeal. Lai’s family said they were not surprised by the verdict, noting their lawyers had warned the outcome was predetermined.
I feel like my uncle was made an example and that was always the case,” said his niece Erica Lepp, who lives in Canada. “I’m very sad. I feel sad for Hong Kong as a whole, and I know my family feels the same way.”
“In the 800-page verdict they have, there is essentially nothing, nothing that incriminates him,” Lai’s son Sebastien said from London. “This is a perfect example of how the national security law has been molded and weaponized against someone who essentially said stuff that they didn’t like.”
“This verdict proves that the authorities still fear our father, even in his weakened state, for what he represents. We stand by his innocence and condemn this miscarriage of justice,” Lai’s daughter Claire said in a written statement.
Human rights groups and governments worldwide condemned the verdict, including the United Kingdom, where Lai is a citizen. UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper denounced the “politically motivated prosecution” of Jimmy Lai under a national security law she said was imposed to silence China’s critics, and called for his immediate release. Lai’s son, Sebastien Lai, urged Prime Minister Keir Starmer to go further by making his father’s freedom a condition of closer ties with Beijing, saying “our values are not up for trade.” Starmer has not commented on the verdict.
“The clock is ticking. My father is 78. His health is rapidly deteriorating. He has been kept in solitary confinement for nearly five years in brutal conditions that few could survive. He has been left to swelter in a tiny concrete cell, his window covered to deny him access to fresh air and sunlight. He has diabetes and suffers from heart palpitations and fatigue — this sometimes kept him away from court during his trial,” Sebastien Lai wrote in an op-ed for the UK Independent on Tuesday.
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