Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on August 14, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleTrump plans to 'save' Jimmy Lai, detained under Hong Kong's national security law, potentially affecting US-China trade talks.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday said he would see what he could do to help "save" detained Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai, even though Chinese President Xi Jinping would not be "thrilled."
"I'm going to do everything I can to save him," Trump told Fox News Radio in an interview. "We'll see what we can do ... we're going to do everything we can."
Lai, 77, has pleaded not guilty to charges under Hong Kong's national security law of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces, as well as to a separate charge of conspiracy to publish seditious material. He has been held in solitary confinement for more than 1,500 days since December 2020.
Liu Pengyu, the spokesperson for China's embassy in Washington, said Lai had been "a key orchestrator and participant in anti-China, destabilizing activities in Hong Kong."
"We strongly oppose external forces using judicial cases as a pretext to interfere in China’s internal affairs or to smear and undermine Hong Kong’s rule of law," he said.
Trump has said he would raise Lai's case as part of negotiations with China over trade and tariffs.
On Monday, the U.S. and China extended a tariff truce for another 90 days, staving off triple-digit duties on each other's goods. On Tuesday, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said trade officials from the two sides will meet again within the next two or three months to discuss the future of the economic relationship.
(Reporting by Steve Holland, Nandita Bose, Susan Heavey and David Brunnstrom; Editing by Daniel Wallis)
Trump stated he would do everything he can to help 'save' Jimmy Lai, who is detained in Hong Kong.
Jimmy Lai has pleaded not guilty to charges under Hong Kong's national security law, including conspiracy to collude with foreign forces.
China's embassy spokesperson criticized Lai as a key orchestrator of anti-China activities and opposed external interference in China's internal affairs.
The U.S. and China have extended a tariff truce for another 90 days, which has postponed the implementation of higher tariffs on each other's goods.
Trump plans to raise Lai's case during negotiations with China, indicating it could influence discussions on trade and tariffs.
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