Trump says Xi told him release of Jimmy Lai ‘would be a tough one’
China systematically suppresses democratic movements both domestically and abroad
After his two-day meeting in China this week, President Donald Trump said May 15 that Chinese leader Xi Jinping responded negatively when he raised the potential release of Jimmy Lai, the Catholic, pro-democracy advocate a Hong Kong court recently sentenced to 20 years in prison.According to Reuters, Trump told journalists aboard Air Force One during his return flight to the U.S. that Xi was “giving very serious consideration” to releasing Zion Church founder Pastor Jin Mingri but indicated Lai’s case would be “a tough one.”
“He told me that would be a tough one,” Trump said.
In an interview with FOX News Channel’s “Special Report,” the President added that Xi’s response to the request “was not positive.”
Trump said that Xi “went through a whole thing and I said, ‘Well, we'd appreciate if you would release him. He's gotten old, and he's probably not feeling too well. It would be nice.’ And I did not feel optimistic. I have to be honest with you about that one,” according to Reuters.
Wikipedia: Lai Chee-ying, also known as Jimmy Lai, is a Hong Kong businessman, politician, and political prisoner. He founded the clothing retailer Giordano, the media company Next Digital, and the newspaper Apple Daily. He is one of the main contributors to Hong Kong's pro-democracy camp, especially to the Democratic Party.
Read the bio of Jimmy Lai
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