US Lawmakers Urge Trump to Press Xi on Jailed Hong Kong Publisher

A bipartisan group of 107 US lawmakers called on President Donald Trump to press Chinese President Xi Jinping for the release of Jimmy Lai, the jailed Hong Kong publisher, at their upcoming summit.

Lai, 78, founded Apple Daily, the pro-democracy newspaper that authorities shut down in 2021. He was sentenced to 20 years in February under the National Security Law Beijing imposed on Hong Kong in 2020. He has already spent five years in detention, much of it in solitary.

Representative Chris Smith of New Jersey, co-chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, and Senator Rick Scott of Florida led the letter. The commission monitors human rights and rule of law in China and has pressed for Lai’s release since his arrest. “The humanitarian case for Mr. Lai’s freedom is urgent and undeniable,” the lawmakers wrote. “President Trump has an incredible, rare opportunity to speak to Xi, face-to-face.”

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, and more than 100 other members from both parties added their names. The signatories span the political spectrum, from Mitch McConnell to Nancy Pelosi. They argue that Lai’s case shows the erosion of Hong Kong’s autonomy under Chinese rule.

Lai built Apple Daily into Hong Kong’s most vocal pro-democracy newspaper. At its peak the paper sold half a million copies a day. Authorities raided its offices in 2020, arrested staff, and froze the company’s assets before shutting it down entirely. Lai was arrested in December 2020 under the new national security legislation. He spent years under house arrest and was denied bail multiple times before his conviction and sentencing in early 2026.

Prosecutors said Lai violated the law by publishing articles critical of Beijing. The trial was seen as a test of whether Hong Kong courts could still act independently of the Communist Party. Human rights groups and Western governments concluded they could not, saying the proceedings fell short of international fair trial standards.

The National Security Law has been used to detain dozens of other pro-democracy figures and elected officials across the territory. International rights groups say the legislation was designed to dismantle the civil liberties that once set Hong Kong apart from mainland China under the “one country, two systems” formula. The crackdown followed the 2019 protests, the largest in Hong Kong’s history.

Trump has said Lai’s case is “on my list” for the summit, expected in Beijing in the coming weeks. The president faces sustained pressure from Congress and human rights organizations to demand Lai’s release.

Lai’s health has declined in prison, his family said. His daughter, Claire, and son, Sebastien, said he would leave Hong Kong and withdraw from public life if freed. They say his medical needs are not being met in conditions they describe as harsh.

The summit agenda includes trade, technology competition, and the Iran conflict. Human rights advocates want prisoner releases at the top of the list. Past US administrations have won similar concessions from Beijing in exchange for trade benefits. The White House has not said whether Lai’s case is on the formal agenda.