"Trump said he believed Xi was seriously considering freeing a church pastor detained in China, but was less hopeful over the plight of Lai. Speaking onboard Air Force One as he returned from his two-day visit to China, Trump said: I did bring it up, but it's a tougher one for him. He said Jimmy Lai is a tough one' for him."
"In an interview with Fox News broadcast later, Trump said: I bought up Jimmy Lai. I would say the response to that was not positive. He added: I did not feel optimistic. Lai's daughter Claire said she was grateful to Trump for his commitment to her father's release."
"Lai, a diabetic, has been kept in solitary confinement without air conditioning in a jail where summer temperatures rise to 44C (111F), his children have said. He has lost a very significant amount of weight, visibly, and he is a lot weaker than he was before, Claire said in remarks to media earlier this year. His nails turn almost purple, gray and greenish before they fall off, and his teeth are getting rotten."
"I feel so badly. I spoke to President Xi"
Donald Trump raised the case of jailed Hong Kong democracy campaigner Jimmy Lai in talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping but was told it is a tough one. Lai, a 78-year-old British citizen, was sentenced to 20 years in prison in February under Beijing’s security law. Lai was arrested in 2020 during a crackdown after massive anti-government protests. His family and supporters hoped Trump could help secure his release. Trump said he brought up Lai but did not feel optimistic, describing the response as not positive. Lai’s legal team says he has serious health problems, including diabetes, weight loss, and worsening physical condition while held in solitary confinement without air conditioning in extreme summer temperatures.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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