Link to Article: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/12/16/trump-urges-chinas-xi-to-free-jailed-hong-kong-media-tycoon-jimmy-lai
United States President Donald Trump has appealed directly to Chinese President Xi Jinping to free Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai following Lai’s conviction under Hong Kong’s national security law. Trump said he spoke with Xi about the case and asked him to “consider his release” because Lai, who is 78, is older and in poor health. Lai was recently found guilty on three charges in his national security trial, a ruling that rights groups have condemned as a major blow to press freedom in the city. Prosecutors accused him of plotting conspiracies to encourage foreign governments to act against Hong Kong or China and of publishing material that “excited disaffection” toward Chinese authorities. Lai has pleaded not guilty and now faces a possible life sentence. Trump reportedly raised Lai’s situation during a previous meeting with Xi in South Korea in October. Shortly after Trump’s comments, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the conviction showed Beijing’s determination to suppress dissent. Lai is the founder of the now-defunct pro-democracy Apple Daily newspaper and one of the most prominent figures targeted under Hong Kong’s national security law.
This matters as it represents the continued depletion of freedom and speech and press rights in Hong Kong after China implemented stronger national security policy. Hong Kong is straying further from the “one country, two systems” policy and aligning closer with China’s norms. It also shows the stark contrast in personal freedoms between the U.S. and China, with the U.S. pushing its values onto China. Regionally, China’s suppression demonstrates the nation’s power and willingness to take legal action against potential security “threats”, even when contested by western states. Finally, this represents the idea that the U.S. promotes its social values at a global level in an effort to spread their norms to other nations.
The U.S. is likely to continue advocating for Lai’s release, representing the greater idea of press freedom and criticizing China’s control over Hong Kong. That said, I predict this advocacy will remain as diplomatic pressure rather than being enforced through economic measures. China will continue to defend its decision as a measure to protect national security, deflecting diplomatic efforts and commentary from the U.S. Together, Jimmy Lai is unlikely to be released without heightened publicity or stronger consequences from western powers regarding his imprisonment.
This event can be seen through the lens of constructivist theory, which argues that powerful states seek to influence global behavior by promoting their own values and norms. The United State’s response to China’s suppression of the press underscores a U.S. attempt to export their liberal beliefs and practices overseas. Urging China to release Jimmy Lai, Trump is addressing the matter from both a personal perspective and on a global politics level, demonstrating the larger idea that the constructivist theory represents.