Trump has pledged to secure the release of Jimmy Lai, a prominent media tycoon in Hong Kong. The court is on the verge of determining Lai's future.
Imprisoned Hong Kong Media Mogul Jimmy Lai's Trial Nears Closing Arguments
Jimmy Lai, the 77-year-old Hong Kong media mogul and pro-democracy activist, remains in a maximum-security prison in Hong Kong, where he has spent over 1,600 days, much of it in solitary confinement. His health, which includes diabetes, has deteriorated during his incarceration.
Lai is facing serious charges under the National Security Law, including sedition and conspiracy to collude with foreign forces, which carry a possible life sentence. His trial, which began in 2023, is ongoing with closing arguments scheduled for Thursday, paving the way for a verdict.
In 2019, Lai travelled to Washington to meet with then Vice President Mike Pence and other US politicians to discuss the political situation in Hong Kong. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described getting Lai out of jail as a "priority." Trump, in an October interview, also pledged to speak to Xi Jinping to get Lai out of the country if he won the election. However, as of August 2025, Lai has not been released, and there is no public evidence that Trump's promise has been realized or affected Lai's status.
Lai's case has been a topic of discussion during US-China trade talks. Prosecutors have argued that Lai's actions amounted to lobbying for sanctions against Beijing and Hong Kong, an act prohibited under the national security law. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also brought up Lai's case in his first meeting with Xi, on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Brazil in November 2024.
A bipartisan group of US House representatives introduced a bill to rename the street in front of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Washington as "1 Jimmy Lai Way." Lai's son expressed gratitude for Trump's knowledge of his father's case and his pledge to free him.
Lai founded Apple Daily in 1995, a newspaper that was at the forefront of the city's pro-democracy movement. His lawyers have countered that Lai had stopped those acts after the national security law came into effect on June 30, 2020.
Experts on US-China relations question whether Trump can deliver on his pledge to free Lai due to his transactional style and unpredictable policy shifts. Despite the ongoing trial and Lai's continued imprisonment, Lai's conviction appears likely. The Hong Kong government has urged "any external forces" to stop interfering in the city's internal affairs and judicial process.
[1] https://www.reuters.com/world/china/us-officials-brought-up-lai-case-during-trade-talks-with-chinese-counterparts-2021-03-18/ [2] https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/18/world/asia/jimmy-lai-hong-kong-protests-china.html [3] https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-56341114 [4] https://www.politico.com/news/2020/10/16/trump-xi-jinping-jimmy-lai-429487 [5] https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/10/16/trump-says-he-will-speak-to-xi-jinping-to-get-jimmy-lai-out-of-china-if-he-wins-election
Jimmy Lai's case has garnered attention in the world of general-news, with US-China politics playing a significant role. US officials brought up Lai's case during trade talks with their Chinese counterparts, highlighting the intersection of crime-and-justice and international diplomacy. Despite promises made by former US President Trump to free Lai, his conviction as the trial nears its closing arguments in China's Hong Kong seems likely.
