Trump says he discussed release of political prisoners with Xi
Donald Trump said on Wednesday he raised the cases of political prisoners, including Jimmy Lai and US citizen Min Zin, in his meeting with Xi Jinping last week.
WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he discussed the release of political prisoners with Chinese President Xi Jinping when the two leaders met last week, according to Reuters.
“I did with President Xi. I did,” Trump told reporters when asked whether he had raised the cases of political prisoners such as Myanmar scholar and US citizen Min Zin, who was arrested in June, and Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai.
“We talked, and I think we had some very, very important discussions. Hopefully, fruitful discussions,” he added.
The White House had said ahead of Xi’s visit that Trump was expected to bring up the cases of people wrongfully detained in China. It did not say whether he aimed to raise broader rights issues, including Tibet, the Uyghur Muslim minority, and China’s new “ethnic unity” law.
Trump has made winning freedom for Americans held overseas a priority, including in China, even as he has largely avoided public discussion of Beijing’s treatment of Tibetans, Uyghurs and voices of dissent.
Lai, founder of the now-shuttered Apple Daily newspaper, was sentenced to 20 years in February on two counts of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and one count of publishing seditious materials. Washington designated Min Zin as wrongfully detained in August following his arrest by Chinese authorities in June.
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