Former President Donald Trump indicated Friday that Chinese President Xi Jinping might be willing to free a jailed pastor but suggested that securing the release of imprisoned media mogul Jimmy Lai would prove more challenging.
Speaking with reporters while flying back to the United States from China on Friday, Trump expressed optimism about one case while acknowledging difficulties with the other.
“I think he’s giving very serious consideration to the pastor,” Trump stated during the Air Force One flight, though he noted Xi had indicated Lai’s situation presented different complications.
“He told me that would be a tough one,” Trump explained.
In a separate interview with Fox News Channel’s ‘Special Report,’ Trump confirmed he had raised Lai’s case during discussions but received a discouraging response.
“I would say the response to that was not positive,” Trump told the news program.
“He went through a whole thing and I said, ‘Well, we’d appreciate if you would release him. He’s gotten old, and he’s probably not feeling too well. It would be nice.’ And I did not feel optimistic. I have to be honest with you about that one,” Trump continued.
Lai received a 20-year prison sentence in February after being convicted on two conspiracy charges involving collusion with foreign forces and one charge related to publishing seditious content.
The media executive’s imprisonment has drawn international attention regarding Hong Kong’s national security enforcement, particularly given his role as the creator of the now-closed Apple Daily newspaper. Various foreign governments and international human rights organizations have expressed criticism about how the security legislation has affected Hong Kong.
The religious leader in question is Pastor Jin Mingri, who established Zion Church and was taken into custody in November alongside approximately 30 other church pastors and employees in what represents the most significant action against Chinese Christians since 2018.
These arrests followed new regulations issued by China’s primary religious oversight agency that prohibited unauthorized internet-based preaching or religious instruction by clergy, along with banning “foreign collusion.”
