Trump Urges Xi Jinping to Release Ailing Hong Kong Media Mogul Jimmy Lai

Dec 16, 2025 07:56 am CST

U.S. President Donald Trump has revealed that he personally appealed to Chinese President Xi Jinping for the release of 78-year-old Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai, who was recently convicted on national security charges. Lai, the founder of pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, faces potential life imprisonment as part of China's ongoing crackdown on Hong Kong's freedoms following the 2019 protests.