On May 15, 2026, President Donald Trump returned to the United States after two days of meetings with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing. The two sides discussed trade, Taiwan, Iran, and other points of tension. Yet for many observers, another question hung over the summit: Could Trump secure the freedom of Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, the imprisoned Hong Kong publisher and democracy advocate?
Before the trip, 106 members of Congress from both parties urged Trump to raise Jimmy Lai’s case directly with Xi. Trump did so, but left Beijing without an agreement for his release. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said Xi had told him that Jimmy Lai’s case was “a tough one.” Trump acknowledged that he did not feel optimistic. Xi’s reported promise of serious consideration concerned detained pastor Ezra Jin Mingri, not Jimmy Lai.
Why is his release so difficult?
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