Trump pressed China's Xi to release jailed Hong Kong media tycoon

U.S. President Donald Trump appealed directly to China's Xi Jinping to free jailed Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai when the two leaders met in South Korea last week, according to three people briefed on the talks and a U.S. administration official.



Trump did not discuss a specific deal to free Lai but spoke more broadly about concerns surrounding the 77-year-old publishing mogul's health and well-being after his lengthy trial on national security charges, one of the people said.



Trump spent less than five minutes discussing the issue, the person added.



"President Trump brought up Jimmy Lai's case, just as he said he would," said the administration official. "Both President Trump and President Xi engaged in the discussion that followed."



That person said Trump suggested that Lai's release would be good for U.S.-China relations and beneficial for China's image.



Trump's direct intervention comes as Lai awaits a verdict after a trial widely seen as a symbol of China's crackdown on rights and freedoms in the Asian financial hub under a national security law imposed after mass pro-democracy protests in 2019.