US President Donald Trump has publicly appealed to Chinese President Xi Jinping to release jailed Hong Kong media tycoon and pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai, stepping directly into one of the most closely watched national security cases to emerge from Beijing’s crackdown on dissent in the former British colony.

Image Illustration. Photo by Derek Tang on Unsplash

Trump told reporters this week that he had personally raised Lai’s fate with Xi, citing the 78‑year‑old’s age and deteriorating health following his conviction under Hong Kong’s sweeping national security law. Trump said he "asked" Xi to consider releasing Lai, framing his intervention as a humanitarian plea rather than a formal diplomatic demand.

A High‑Profile Plea Over a High‑Stakes Trial

Lai, founder of the now‑defunct pro‑democracy tabloid Apple Daily, was found guilty on three counts — two for conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and one for conspiracy to publish seditious material — in a landmark verdict under Hong Kong’s Beijing‑drafted national security law. The Hong Kong High Court’s decision followed a marathon trial that rights groups say marks a decisive blow to press freedom in the city.

Trump, who met Xi in October in South Korea, said he raised Lai’s case directly with the Chinese leader. "He’s an older man, and he’s not well. So I did put that request out. We’ll see what happens," Trump said, according to statements reported by international media. His remarks come amid mounting criticism from Western governments and rights organizations over Lai’s conviction and the broader erosion of Hong Kong’s civil liberties since the national security law was introduced in 2020.

Who Is Jimmy Lai?

Jimmy Lai, a self‑made billionaire and outspoken critic of the Chinese Communist Party, built his fortune in clothing before founding the mass‑circulation newspaper Apple Daily in 1995. The tabloid became a key platform for Hong Kong’s pro‑democracy movement, particularly during the 2014 Umbrella Movement and the mass protests of 2019.

Lai was arrested in August 2020 shortly after Beijing imposed the national security law on Hong Kong, which criminalizes secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces with penalties up to life in prison. The law’s broad provisions and extraterritorial reach have been widely criticized by legal scholars and Western governments as incompatible with Hong Kong’s promised autonomy under the “one country, two systems” framework.

Since his initial detention, Lai has faced a succession of charges, from unauthorized assembly to fraud, before standing trial under the national security law. He has now spent more than 1,800 days behind bars, much of it in solitary confinement, according to his family and supporters.

Health Concerns and Humanitarian Appeals

Trump’s intervention centers on Lai’s health as much as on the underlying political and legal issues. Lai’s children have described his dramatic physical decline in prison, saying he has lost significant weight and suffers from chronic pain, diabetes and heart palpitations. His daughter Claire Lai told reporters that his nails are discolored and falling off and that some of his teeth are rotting, painting a stark picture of the conditions faced by one of Hong Kong’s most prominent political prisoners.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said reports of Lai’s deteriorating health underscore the need for his release on humanitarian grounds, echoing independent calls from press‑freedom advocates and religious groups. Advocacy organizations note that Lai, a British national, is among more than 1,800 people prosecuted in connection with the 2019 protest movement and subsequent security cases, according to tallies compiled by human rights monitors.

Global Reaction and Diplomatic Fallout

Trump’s comments add the White House’s voice to a widening chorus of international concern. The UK government has condemned Lai’s conviction as a politically motivated prosecution and summoned China’s ambassador in London to protest the verdict. British officials say the case violates commitments made in the 1984 Sino‑British Joint Declaration, which guaranteed Hong Kong a high degree of autonomy and rights protections for 50 years after the 1997 handover.

China’s response has been defiant. Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee has defended the verdict as a legitimate application of the law, arguing that Lai “harmed the fundamental interests of the country and the well‑being of the people of Hong Kong,” according to local media accounts. Beijing and Hong Kong authorities insist the national security law has restored stability after the unrest of 2019, pointing to the sharp decline in large‑scale protests since its enactment.

Rights organizations counter that the law has fundamentally reshaped Hong Kong’s political and media landscape. Within a year of its passage, Apple Daily was forced to shut down after authorities froze its assets and arrested senior editors. Since then, multiple independent outlets have closed or relocated abroad, and journalists report widespread self‑censorship in coverage of China and local politics.

Press Freedom in Free Fall

Lai’s conviction and Trump’s intervention highlight the stark decline of press freedom in Hong Kong. The city’s ranking in the World Press Freedom Index has plunged from 18th in 2002 to 135th in 2024, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF). RSF and other groups describe Lai’s case as emblematic of a broader strategy to silence critical media and rewrite the narrative of Hong Kong’s pro‑democracy movement.

Legal analysts note that much of the evidence against Lai involved meetings with foreign officials and public appeals for international support, many of which occurred before the national security law came into force. Critics argue that applying the law to earlier conduct undermines the principle that laws should not be applied retroactively, raising alarm about the predictability and fairness of Hong Kong’s legal system under Beijing’s tightening grip.

A Test of US–China Relations and International Leverage

Trump’s decision to publicly disclose his appeal to Xi adds another layer of complexity to already fraught US–China relations. The United States has previously sanctioned Hong Kong and mainland Chinese officials over the national security law and suspended certain trade preferences for the city. Human rights has become a recurring flashpoint in the bilateral relationship, alongside disputes over trade, technology and security in the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait.

Whether Trump’s intervention will shift Beijing’s stance remains uncertain. China has consistently rejected what it calls “foreign interference” in Hong Kong, insisting that national security cases are an internal matter. Analysts say Beijing is unlikely to reverse such a high‑profile conviction without extracting significant political concessions, and may instead use the case to signal the limits of foreign influence over its domestic legal processes.

Conclusion: A Symbol Beyond One Man

For Lai’s supporters, Trump’s appeal to Xi offers a rare glimmer of hope after years of legal setbacks and tightening repression. For Beijing, it is a reminder that Hong Kong remains a focal point of international scrutiny. And for Hong Kong itself, the case encapsulates a historic shift: from a city once famed for its boisterous, irreverent media to one where the most prominent publisher of dissent now faces the prospect of dying in prison.

However Beijing responds, the fate of Jimmy Lai has grown into a test of how far China is prepared to go in enforcing its vision of national security — and how much leverage foreign leaders, including the president of the United States, still possess to influence that course.