US President Donald Trump has said he has personally asked Chinese President Xi Jinping to consider releasing Jimmy Lai, the Hong Kong pro-democracy media tycoon who was convicted this week under the city’s national security law.
“I feel so badly,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday. “I spoke to President Xi about it and I asked him to consider his release.”
Trump said Lai’s age and health were factors behind the request, adding: “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 specify when he raised the matter with Xi.
Lai, 78, a British citizen and founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper, has been detained since December 2020. He was found guilty on Monday of colluding with foreign forces, a charge that carries a potential life sentence. He is expected to be sentenced early next year.
The conviction has drawn swift international condemnation. UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper described the case as a “politically motivated persecution” and called for Lai’s immediate release. She said the British government had summoned China’s ambassador to protest the ruling, calling it “heartbreaking” that the rights of a British citizen had been violated in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong chief executive John Lee welcomed the verdict, saying Lai’s actions had harmed national interests and the well-being of Hong Kong residents. Rights groups, however, denounced the ruling as a “cruel judicial farce” aimed at silencing dissent.
China’s foreign ministry rejected international criticism, dismissing it as an attempt to smear Hong Kong’s judicial system.
Lai was also convicted under a separate colonial-era sedition law for publishing material deemed seditious. His detention and trial have long been criticised by human rights organisations and foreign governments.
Lai’s family has expressed growing concern over his health, with his son previously warning that his father could die in prison due to his age and medical condition.
