Trump appeals to Chinese chief Xi Jinping after Jimmy Lai convicted underneath Hong Kong’s nationwide safety regulation in case mentioned to symbolises collapse of media freedoms within the metropolis.
United States President Donald Trump has personally appealed to Chinese President Xi Jinping to launch imprisoned Hong Kong pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai, saying he was deeply involved in regards to the 78-year-old’s well being following his conviction.
On Monday, Hong Kong’s High Court discovered Lai responsible on three costs in his nationwide safety trial, a ruling condemned by rights teams as a decisive blow to press freedom within the Chinese monetary hub.
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Prosecutors accused Lai of orchestrating conspiracies to encourage overseas governments to take motion towards Hong Kong or China, and of publishing materials that “excited disaffection” towards Chinese authorities. Lai pleaded not responsible and now faces a doable life sentence following his responsible verdict.
“I spoke to President Xi about it, and I requested to think about his launch,” Trump informed reporters on Monday, with out saying when he made the request to Xi.
“He’s an older man, and he’s not properly. So I did put that request out. We’ll see what occurs,” Trump mentioned.
Trump met Xi in October in South Korea, the place he’s believed to have raised Lai’s case with the Chinese chief. Shortly after Trump’s feedback on Monday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio mentioned the decision underscored Beijing’s willpower to suppress dissent.
Rubio mentioned the conviction confirmed China’s resolve to “silence those that search to guard freedom of speech and different basic rights”.
Lai based the now-defunct pro-democracy tabloid newspaper Apple Daily and have become one of the crucial outstanding pro-democracy figures focused underneath Hong Kong’s nationwide safety regulation.
“Reports point out that Mr. Lai’s well being has severely deteriorated throughout greater than 1,800 days in jail,” Rubio mentioned within the assertion. “We urge the authorities to convey this ordeal to an finish as quickly as doable and to launch Mr. Lai on humanitarian grounds,” he mentioned.
Jimmy Lai has spent over 1,800 days in jail. I echo President Trump’s name for Beijing to conclude this ordeal and launch Mr. Lai.
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) December 15, 2025
The United Kingdom additionally criticised the conviction of Lai as a “politically motivated prosecution” and referred to as for his quick launch.
Lai, who has been detained since late 2020, is a British citizen. His son Sebastien mentioned that the UK wanted to extend stress on Beijing.
“It’s time to place motion behind phrases and make my father’s launch a precondition to nearer relationships with China,” Lai’s son mentioned at a information convention in London.
Lai’s daughter, Claire, mentioned her father would abandon political activism if free of jail.
“He simply needs to reunite along with his household. He needs to dedicate his life to serving our Lord, and he needs to dedicate the remainder of his days to his household,” she informed the Associated Press in Washington.
“My father is essentially not a person who operates on unlawful floor,” she mentioned.
A religious Catholic, Lai has drawn assist within the US from a free coalition of democracy advocates, press freedom teams and Christian activists, a constituency that kinds a key a part of Trump’s political base.
The pressured closure of Lai’s Apple Daily in 2021, as soon as recognized for its fiercely essential reporting, marked a turning level for Hong Kong’s media panorama. News organisations have since scaled again essential protection of China amid fears of prosecution in Hong Kong, whereas town’s international press freedom rating has fallen sharply, dropping to a hundred and fortieth out of 180 international locations, in response to advocacy group RFA.
“Although it’s an anticipated verdict, when the information got here out, the sensation of ‘lastly it’s right here’ hit us,” mentioned Edward Li, a former editor at Apple Daily at the moment residing in Taiwan.
“Not solely does Hong Kong now not have Apple Daily; Hong Kong now not has a powerful voice to criticise and monitor the federal government…, which is why we really feel the necessity to fill that function,” Li mentioned.
