Trump to raise Jimmy Lai's case with Xi Jinping during upcoming meeting
US President Trump announced that he would once again bring up the case of Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai during his upcoming meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Lai was convicted of collusion with foreign forces and other charges in December 2025 and sentenced to 20 years in prison in February this year.
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- 📰 Published: May 5, 2026 at 16:41
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Central News Agency
(Central News Agency, Taipei, May 5) US President Trump stated on the 4th, during an interview with conservative host Hugh Hewitt, that when asked if he would again raise the issue of Next Digital founder Jimmy Lai with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Trump replied, "I will, I will bring him up then."
Trump (Donald Trump) is scheduled to visit China from the 14th to the 15th and will meet with Xi Jinping.
According to the transcript of "The Hugh Hewitt Show," Hewitt asked Trump if he would again mention Jimmy Lai to Xi Jinping. Trump said, "I will, I have mentioned him (Jimmy Lai) before, I will say, he (Xi Jinping) has a lot, a bit of a grudge against Jimmy Lai," and also pointed out that Hong Kong was not so easy to deal with at the time. "I will, I will bring him up then."
Jimmy Lai was convicted by a Hong Kong court in December 2025 on two counts of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and one count of conspiracy to publish seditious publications, and was sentenced to 20 years in prison in February this year. Jimmy Lai waived his right to appeal.
Reuters reported in November 2025 that Trump had mentioned Jimmy Lai when he met with Xi Jinping in Korea in October of the same year. The report quoted a US government official as saying, "President Trump did mention the Jimmy Lai case, as he had said before... President Trump and President Xi both spoke during later discussions."
At the time, the report stated that Trump spent less than 5 minutes discussing this issue, and Xi Jinping responded. (Editors: Chen Kai-yu / Chiu Kuo-chiang) 1150505
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(Central News Agency, Taipei, May 5) US President Trump stated on the 4th, during an interview with conservative host Hugh Hewitt, that when asked if he would again raise the issue of Next Digital founder Jimmy Lai with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Trump replied, "I will, I will bring him up then."
Trump (Donald Trump) is scheduled to visit China from the 14th to the 15th and will meet with Xi Jinping.
According to the transcript of "The Hugh Hewitt Show," Hewitt asked Trump if he would again mention Jimmy Lai to Xi Jinping. Trump said, "I will, I have mentioned him (Jimmy Lai) before, I will say, he (Xi Jinping) has a lot, a bit of a grudge against Jimmy Lai," and also pointed out that Hong Kong was not so easy to deal with at the time. "I will, I will bring him up then."
Jimmy Lai was convicted by a Hong Kong court in December 2025 on two counts of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and one count of conspiracy to publish seditious publications, and was sentenced to 20 years in prison in February this year. Jimmy Lai waived his right to appeal.
Reuters reported in November 2025 that Trump had mentioned Jimmy Lai when he met with Xi Jinping in Korea in October of the same year. The report quoted a US government official as saying, "President Trump did mention the Jimmy Lai case, as he had said before... President Trump and President Xi both spoke during later discussions."
At the time, the report stated that Trump spent less than 5 minutes discussing this issue, and Xi Jinping responded. (Editors: Chen Kai-yu / Chiu Kuo-chiang) 1150505
Choose to stand with facts, every sponsorship you make is a force to protect press freedom.
Download the Central News Agency's "First-hand News" APP to stay updated with the latest news.
The text, images, and videos on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, publicly transmitted, or used without authorization.