Donald Trump does ‘not feel optimistic’ for Jimmy Lai after speaking with Xi Jinping | Jimmy Lai

Donald Trump brought up the case of jailed Hong Kong democracy advocate Jimmy Lai in his talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, but was told it was a “tough case.”

The 78-year-old British citizen’s family and supporters had hoped the US president could help secure his release.

Lai was sentenced to 20 years in prison in February under a security law imposed by Beijing.

The media mogul, an influential figure in the former British territory’s pro-democracy movement, was arrested in a crackdown following mass anti-government protests in 2020.

Lai’s legal team says he has health problems, raising fears he could die behind bars.

Speaking aboard Air Force One as he returned from a two-day visit to China, Trump said he believed Xi was seriously considering releasing a church pastor detained in China but was less hopeful about Lai’s situation.

Trump said: “I brought it up, but it’s a harder issue for him. He said Jimmy Lai was a ‘difficult person’ for him.”

Later, in an interview with Fox News, Trump said: “I bought Jimmy Lai. I would say the reaction to that was not positive.”

He added: “I didn’t feel optimistic.”

Lai’s daughter Claire said she was grateful to Trump for his commitment to her father’s release.

He said: “He has made his reputation by freeing those who have been unjustly detained, and I am confident that he and his administration will be the ones to release my father.”

He added that this was an opportunity for Xi to do “the only thing that is fair and honorable.”

His children said Lai, who was diabetic, was kept in a single cell without air conditioning at a prison where temperatures soared to 44°C (111F) in the summer.

“She has visibly lost a significant amount of weight and is much thinner than before,” Claire told the media earlier this year.

“His nails turn almost purple, gray and greenish before falling off, and his teeth are rotting.”

Late last year, Trump told reporters that he had spoken to Xi about releasing Lai.

Without specifying the date he asked Xi, Trump said, “I feel very bad. I spoke with President Xi about this issue and asked for his release to be considered.” “He is an old man and his condition is not good. So I submitted this request. Let’s see what happens.”

Lai’s case has sparked international concern, particularly in the United Kingdom, where he is thought to be punished for defending democratic commitments brought about by the handover of Hong Kong from British to Chinese rule in 1997.