US 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 action to secure his release.
Trump, who had previously vowed to “save” the democracy advocate, said he had earlier asked Chinese leader Xi Jinping to consider releasing the 78-year-old, without suggesting he would pressure Beijing.
“I feel so badly. I spoke to President Xi about it, and I asked to consider his release,” Trump told reporters on 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 appealed to Xi to free Lai during their meeting in South Korea in October.
Lai was found guilty on Monday on collusion and sedition charges in a closely watched case. The two collusion offences, under a National Security Law from 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.The British government summoned the Chinese ambassador to protest the conviction of Lai, a British citizen.
Authorities in Beijing and Hong Kong have lashed out at the torrent of condemnation.
“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. — Bloomberg
