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President Donald Trump divulged how Chinese President Xi Jinping responded to his inquiry about releasing Jimmy Lai, a Hong Kong businessman imprisoned after his outspoken criticism of the Chinese government.
Lai, 78, is serving a 20-year sentence after the communist regime found him guilty of sedition and conspiracy to commit collusion with foreign forces.
“I brought up Jimmy Lai. I would say the response to that was not positive. He said that he’s been, you know, he said it’s been sort of his worst nightmare,” Trump told “Special Report” in an interview that aired Friday.
Trump said he spoke with Xi “at length” about Lai’s declining health as the media mogul remains in a Hong Kong prison under reportedly harsh conditions.
“I said, well, I would appreciate it if you would release him. He’s gotten old and he’s probably not feeling too well, it would be nice,” the president told Fox News chief political anchor Bret Baier.
“I did not feel optimistic. I have to be honest with you about that one.”
Jimmy’s daughter Claire Lai expressed high hopes of her father’s release on “The Will Cain Show” Thursday, praising Trump as the “liberator-in-chief.”
“I’m more hopeful than I’ve ever been that he is the president and this is the administration that will free my father, and we are just so extremely grateful,” she said before Trump spoke with Xi about Lai’s release.
Lai, who was imprisoned in 2020, founded a pro-democracy newspaper that regularly criticized the Communist Party, which Chinese authorities say was an effort to undermine the government.
Despite being unable to secure Lai’s release from Hong Kong, Trump touted the “hundreds” of prisoners he has helped release, including American Pastor Andrew Brunson from Turkey.
The president also criticized former President Joe Biden’s prisoner release strategy, which he suggested was a waste of American money.
“I’ve gotten hundreds of people out, and, by the way, I don’t pay a lot of money. I don’t pay any money, like Biden, where they give $6 billion all the time to get people out,” he said.
Lai’s release is not the only topic the two world superpowers cannot agree on.
Another central fault line is Taiwan, which Xi warned could cause “clashes and even conflicts” between the United States and China.
Though, Xi did offer to help the United States broker a deal with Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, striking a more collaborative tone.
Trump indicated a “fantastic future” of US-China relations and praised Xi as a “great leader” during the talks.
He departed back to Washington, DC, on Friday.
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