US President Donald Trump has said he plans to raise concerns about jailed Catholic media tycoon Jimmy Lai and detained Chinese pastor Jin Mingri during talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping this week in Beijing.
Speaking at the White House on Monday, Trump said he would once again bring up the case of Lai, the prominent Hong Kong pro-democracy campaigner and founder of the now-shuttered Apple Daily newspaper.
Lai was sentenced to 20 years in prison in February on charges including collusion with foreign forces and publishing seditious materials under Hong Kong’s national security laws.
"Jimmy Lai - he caused lots of turmoil for China. He tried to do the right thing. He wasn't successful, went to jail, and people would like him out, and I'd like to see him get out too. So I'll bring him up again," Trump said, adding he has also previously brought up Lai's case with China.
Lai’s case has become a major symbol of concerns over declining freedoms in Hong Kong, with international human rights groups and Christian organisations warning about the impact of China’s security crackdown on freedom of speech, religion and the press.
The 77-year-old businessman, who converted to Catholicism in the 1990s, has spoken publicly about how his Christian faith shaped his commitment to democracy and human dignity.
Trump also said he would discuss the case of Pastor Jin Mingri, founder of Beijing’s Zion Church, one of China’s largest unregistered Protestant churches.
Authorities arrested Pastor Jin late last year amid tighter restrictions on religious activity in China. The crackdown followed new regulations banning unauthorised online preaching, religious training and what officials described as “foreign collusion”.
Zion Church was previously shut down by authorities in 2018 after refusing to install state-surveillance equipment and declining to join China’s government-approved church system.
Religious freedom advocates say the latest arrests reflect increasing pressure on Christians in China, particularly those linked to independent “house churches” operating outside state control.
Trump’s comments came as he discussed broader issues expected to dominate talks with Xi Jinping, including Taiwan and US arms sales to the island.
