U.S. President Donald Trump has appealed to Chinese President Xi Jinping to release Jimmy Lai, a Hong Kong media tycoon imprisoned for his pro-democracy views. Trump is worried about Lai’s health since he is 78 years old and was recently convicted.
On Monday, Hong Kong’s High Court found Lai guilty on three charges related to a national security trial. Rights groups condemned this ruling, calling it a major setback for press freedom in Hong Kong.
Prosecutors claimed that Lai conspired to get foreign governments to act against Hong Kong or China and published materials that stirred up distrust towards Chinese authorities. Lai pleaded not guilty and now faces a possible life sentence.
“I talked to President Xi and asked him to consider releasing Jimmy Lai,” Trump told reporters. He did not say when he made this request. “He’s an older man, and he’s not well. I put that request out there, and we’ll see what happens,” Trump said.
Trump met Xi in October in South Korea, where he likely brought up Lai’s case. After Trump’s comments, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the verdict showed that Beijing wants to silence dissent.
Rubio pointed out that the conviction highlights China’s efforts to suppress freedom of speech and other basic rights.
Lai started the now-closed pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily and has become a key target under Hong Kong’s national security law. “Reports say Mr. Lai’s health has worsened after spending over 1,800 days in prison,” Rubio stated. “We urge authorities to end this ordeal and release Mr. Lai for humanitarian reasons.”
Jimmy Lai has spent over 1,800 days in prison. I echo President Trump’s call for Beijing to conclude this ordeal and release Mr. Lai.
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) December 15, 2025
The United Kingdom also criticized Lai’s conviction, calling it politically motivated, and demanded his immediate release.
Lai, a British citizen, has been detained since late 2020. His son, Sebastien, stated that the UK should increase pressure on Beijing. “It’s time to turn words into actions and make my father’s release a condition for better relations with China,” his son said at a news conference in London.
Lai’s Daughter to Quit Politics After His Release from Jail
Lai’s daughter, Claire, said that if her father were released from prison, he would stop being politically active. “He just wants to reunite with his family. He wants to serve our Lord and spend the rest of his days with his family,” she told the Associated Press in Washington.
“My father is fundamentally not a man who breaks the law,” she added.
Lai is a devout Catholic who has support in the U.S. from democracy advocates, press freedom groups, and Christian activists. This group is an important part of Trump’s political base.
In 2021, Lai’s newspaper, Apple Daily, had to close because it reported critically on the government. This was a major change for the media in Hong Kong. Since then, news organizations have been less critical of China because they are afraid of being prosecuted in Hong Kong. As a result, Hong Kong’s global press freedom ranking has dropped to 140th out of 180 countries, according to the group RFA.
“Even though we expected this verdict, when the news came out, it felt final,” said Edward Li, a former editor at Apple Daily who now lives in Taiwan. “Hong Kong no longer has Apple Daily, and it lacks a strong voice to criticize and monitor the government. This is why we feel the need to fill that role,” Li said.
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