Overview
- Trump, speaking Friday aboard Air Force One after his summit in China, said Xi Jinping described freeing Hong Kong publisher Jimmy Lai as “a tough one” and he left the talks not optimistic.
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the administration always raises Lai’s case and would be open to any arrangement that results in Lai’s freedom, adding he hopes for a positive response from Beijing.
- China’s foreign ministry called Lai a key mastermind of activities that undermined national security and said Hong Kong cases are internal affairs under mainland sovereignty.
- Lai, a 78-year-old British citizen who founded the pro-democracy Apple Daily, received a 20-year sentence in February under the national security law, with reports of prolonged solitary confinement and declining health worrying his family.
- Trump said Xi would seriously consider the case of detained pastor Ezra Jin, highlighting a possible release on the mainland even as White House readouts omitted Lai and no immediate action followed the summit.