Posted on 12/17/2025 11:21:00 AM PST by DFG
President Donald Trump said on Monday that he asked Chinese dictator Xi Jinping to free Jimmy Lai, the pro-democracy Hong Kong media mogul who is awaiting sentencing after he was found guilty of “colluding with foreign forces” on Monday.
“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,” he said.
Trump did not specify when he made this request to Xi. Their last high-profile telephone conversation, which both leaders described as successful, was on November 24, but they have apparently had a few briefer and less formal communications since then. For example, Trump said last Monday that he had informed Xi about his decision to allow China to purchase advanced computer chips from Nvidia.
When Trump and Xi met face-to-face in South Korea in early November, Trump reportedly expressed concerns for Jimmy Lai’s health and asked Xi to set him free, suggesting it would be a positive step toward improving U.S.-China relations. According to sources familiar with the conversation, Xi “noted” Trump’s request, but did not respond to it further.
Lai, 78, is a famed democracy advocate and former owner of Hong Kong’s now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper. He has been jailed since December 2020, despite serious health issues.
On Monday, Lai was found guilty on charges of “colluding with foreign governments” under the tyrannical National Security Law (NSL) that China imposed on Hong Kong to crush the 2019 pro-democracy movement. The NSL criminalized all opposition to Beijing’s puppet government in Hong Kong, furnishing prosecutors with very flexible charges of “sedition” and “collusion” that could be deployed against any activist or dissident.
(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...
He is very Catholic and refuses to denounce his faith… and that has been the main driver of his continued persecution.
renounce*
Xi will give Trump their standard “It’s a sensitive issue” non answer, which will just tick Trump off.
He’s a UK citizen. China broke the treaty with the UK and invaded HK. Starmer is too busy being a shirt lifter to care. What a pathetic twerp he is.
Xi will smile, say nothing and do nothing.
Xi was really hoping to install his CCP tool Walz into the White House.
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