Trump says he feels ‘badly’ for Lai but signals no new moves

Sebastien Lai shows a picture of his father, Hong Kong media publisher Jimmy Lai, convicted on national security charges with a life sentence. (EPA Images pic)
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump expressed sympathy for Jimmy Lai following the former Hong Kong media tycoon’s conviction on national security charges, but stopped short of pledging new action to secure his release.
Trump, who had previously vowed to “save” the democracy advocate, said he had previously asked Chinese leader Xi Jinping to consider releasing the 78-year-old, without suggesting he would take new action to pressure Beijing.
“I feel so badly. I spoke to President Xi about it, and I asked to consider his release,” Trump told reporters Monday during an event at the White House.
“He’s not well. He’s an older man, and he’s not well,” Trump added. “So I did put that request out. We’ll see what happens.”
Trump did not say when he had that conversation with Xi. The US president said in August that he had raised the case with China and, according to Reuters, appealed to Xi to free Lai during their meeting in South Korea in October. The two presidents also held a call in November to discuss trade matters and Taiwan.
Lai was found guilty on Monday on collusion and sedition charges in a closely watched case that has come to symbolise Xi’s resolve to stamp out political dissent in Hong Kong. The two collusion offences, under a National Security Law imposed by Beijing in 2020, carry a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
The guilty verdict threatens to inflame tensions between Beijing and Washington as the world’s two largest economies are trying to implement a fragile trade truce. Trump, whose name appeared nearly 200 times in the 856-page judgment, has previously said that he would “do everything I can” to free Lai.
The US joined other Western governments in swiftly condemning the ruling.
US secretary of state Marco Rubio said Lai’s guilty verdict reflected Beijing’s efforts to silence those who seek to protect freedom of speech and other fundamental rights – rights that China had pledged to uphold in the former British colony when it returned to Chinese rule in 1997.
“We urge the authorities to bring this ordeal to an end as soon as possible and to release Mr Lai on humanitarian grounds,” he said in a statement, citing reports of Lai’s deteriorating health.
The British government summoned the Chinese ambassador to protest the conviction of Lai, a British citizen. In a statement, the UK Foreign Office said a senior official expressed stern opposition to the “politically motivated” prosecution and called for his immediate release.
The EU said it “deplores” the conviction and said the trial undermines confidence in Hong Kong’s legal system.
Authorities in Beijing and Hong Kong have lashed out at the torrent of condemnation, seeing such action as an interference in China’s internal affairs.
“China strongly deplores and firmly opposes certain countries that blatantly smear and slander Hong Kong’s justice system,” Guo Jiakun, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry, told reporters on Monday,
“We urge relevant countries to respect China’s sovereignty, Hong Kong’s rule of law, do not unleash irresponsible remarks on the proceeding of the case in Hong Kong,” he said.
The Hong Kong government has voiced strong objection to what it called “despicable political manipulations that smear and attack” the Chinese-ruled city.
Citing comments from the US, other Western countries and international organisations, a government spokesperson said “these biased statements and malicious smears from external forces precisely reflect that the national security risks we face are real.”
Lai and his now-shuttered newspaper were prominent voices for Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement and sharply critical of the Chinese Communist Party.
The ruling followed a marathon trial that started two years ago and spanned more than 150 days. Since he was detained some five years ago, Lai’s health has deteriorated significantly, with severe weight loss and failing hearing and vision, according to his family.
Lai will be sentenced on a later date after a mitigation hearing in mid-January.