"The children of Jimmy Lai, a pro-democracy former Hong Kong media mogul and China critic, said Monday that a possible visit by President Donald Trump to Beijing in April could be "crucial" in securing the release of their 78-year-old father. Lai's son and daughter pleaded for their father's freedom on humanitarian grounds after a Hong Kong court on Monday sentenced him to 20 years in prison following convictions under a Beijing-imposed national security law that has virtually silenced the city's dissent."
"The ruling in Hong Kong is certain to add friction to already fragile U.S.-China relations, with Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping expected to meet this year to keep ties stabilized over thorny issues like tariffs, export restrictions and U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, a self-governed island that Beijing claims is Chinese territory. While Trump has said several times he will be visiting Beijing this April, China has yet to confirm it."
Jimmy Lai, a 78-year-old pro-democracy media mogul and critic of China, received a 20-year prison sentence under Hong Kong's Beijing-imposed national security law. Lai's children appealed for his release on humanitarian grounds and said a possible April visit by President Donald Trump to Beijing could be crucial to securing his freedom. Sebastien Lai described his father's deteriorating health and said the family hopes he remains well until the visit. The ruling is expected to strain fragile U.S.-China relations ahead of any Trump-Xi meeting. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the sentence unjust and urged humanitarian parole.
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