Donald Trump revealed how Chinese President Xi Jinping responded when he raised the case of Jimmy Lai, the Hong Kong media entrepreneur imprisoned after publicly criticizing the Chinese government. Lai, 78, is serving a 20-year sentence after authorities in Hong Kong convicted him on charges of sedition and conspiracy to collude with foreign forces under China’s national security law.
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“I brought up Jimmy Lai. I would say the response to that was not positive. He said that he’s been, you know, he said it’s been sort of his worst nightmare,” Trump told Fox News’ “Special Report” in an interview that aired Friday.
Trump stated he discussed Lai’s declining health extensively with Xi, as the media mogul continues to endure reportedly harsh conditions in a Hong Kong prison.
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“I said, well, I would appreciate it if you would release him. He’s gotten old and he’s probably not feeling too well, it would be nice,” the president told Fox News chief political anchor Bret Baier.
“I did not feel optimistic. I have to be honest with you about that one,” Trump added.
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Jimmy’s daughter Claire Lai expressed high hopes of her father’s release on Fox News’ “The Will Cain Show” Thursday, hailing the president as the “liberator-in-chief.”
“I’m more hopeful than I’ve ever been that he is the president and this is the administration that will free my father, and we are just so extremely grateful,” she said ahead of Trump’s discussions about her Jimmy’s release.
Jimmy Lai, who was jailed in 2020, founded a pro-democracy newspaper that frequently criticized the Chinese Communist Party, which authorities in China argued was intended to undermine the government.
Although he acknowledged he was unable to secure Lai’s release from Hong Kong, Donald Trump pointed to what he described as the release of “hundreds” of prisoners during his time in office, including American pastor Andrew Brunson from Turkey, Fox News reported.
Trump also criticized former President Joe Biden’s approach to prisoner negotiations, arguing that it resulted in unnecessary costs for the United States.
“I’ve gotten hundreds of people out, and, by the way, I don’t pay a lot of money. I don’t pay any money, like Biden, where they give $6 billion all the time to get people out,” said Trump.
Lai’s release is not the only issue on which the two world superpowers struggle to find common ground. Another significant point of contention is Taiwan, which Xi warned could lead to “clashes and even conflicts” between the United States and China.
However, Xi did express a willingness to assist the United States in brokering a deal with Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, adopting a more collaborative tone.
Trump indicated a “fantastic future” of U.S.-China relations and praised Xi as a “great leader” during the talks. He left China and returned to Washington, D.C., on Friday.
Before he left, Trump announced that China had agreed to purchase 200 Boeing jets during his high-level meeting in Beijing.
In an exclusive interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity, Trump described his discussions with Xi as “very good” and stated that the commitment from China exceeded Boeing’s expectations.
“One thing [Xi] agreed to today: he’s going to order 200 jets. That’s a big thing. Boeing — 200 big ones. That’s a lot of jobs. It’s a lot. Boeing wanted 150, he got 200,” Trump said.
Terms of the announced agreement, such as the type of aircraft ordered and delivery timelines, were not disclosed, Fox Business noted.
Trump arrived in China on Wednesday with a delegation of prominent American business leaders to meet with Chinese officials and executives.
