Post by : Rameen Ariff

US President Donald Trump brought up the situation of jailed Hong Kong media figure Jimmy Lai during his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea, pressing Beijing to free the publisher and calling such a move a constructive step for US-China relations, according to officials familiar with the exchange.

The intervention represents a rare high-level appeal on behalf of Jimmy Lai, the 77-year-old founder of a pro-democracy news outlet whose prosecution has become a focal point for concerns about Beijing’s expanding reach into Hong Kong under the national security law.

People briefed on the conversation said Mr. Trump voiced worries about Mr. Lai’s health and treatment in custody, and suggested that releasing him would improve China’s international standing. The former president did not lay out a specific proposal but reportedly spent several minutes raising the matter in a direct exchange with Mr. Xi.

“President Trump raised Jimmy Lai’s case as he indicated he would,” a senior US official said, adding that the leaders addressed the topic in a respectful and constructive manner.

Lai, who launched the now-shuttered Apple Daily, has been held at Hong Kong’s Stanley Prison in prolonged solitary confinement for more than 1,700 days. He faces charges including conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and publishing seditious material — allegations rights groups and Western governments say are politically driven.

During his campaign, Mr. Trump pledged to secure Lai’s freedom and framed himself as a defender of press freedom. His renewed advocacy highlights continuing diplomatic friction between Washington and Beijing over Hong Kong’s democratic freedoms.

Sebastien Lai, Jimmy Lai’s son, thanked Mr. Trump for raising the issue and said he hopes the former president’s efforts — and his public reputation — will persuade Beijing to release his father before it is too late.

Chinese officials have reiterated that Lai’s case is a domestic legal matter. A spokesperson for China’s embassy in Washington argued that Lai’s actions had “gravely undermined Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability,” and warned that outside attempts to interfere with the judicial process would not succeed.

Beyond human rights concerns, Mr. Trump described his meeting with Mr. Xi as productive, pointing to advances on trade, rare-earth exports and efforts to curb fentanyl production. Officials said the leaders avoided discussing Taiwan during the roughly 90-minute session.

As Jimmy Lai awaits a verdict after an extended national-security trial, his detention continues to draw international scrutiny, with advocacy groups and several governments urging his release as a matter of press freedom and civil liberties in Hong Kong.

#Global