Trump says Xi talks covered China political prisoners
SCMP · 1 SOURCESabout 3 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he discussed the release of political prisoners in China with Chinese President Xi Jinping during Xi’s three-day state visit to Washington last week. Speaking at the White House, Trump said the two leaders had “very, very important discussions” that he hoped would be fruitful, but he did not specify which detainees were raised.
Key Points
- Trump told reporters at the White House on Wednesday that he had raised political prisoners with Xi Jinping after being asked about cases including Min Zin and Jimmy Lai Chee-ying.
- Xi was in Washington last week for a three-day state visit, during which families and supporters increased pressure on the Trump administration to seek detainees’ release.
- Trump did not identify specific prisoners discussed, leaving it unclear whether the talks covered Min Zin, Jimmy Lai, Chinese-American scientist Chen Youlin, or others.
- Trump had previously raised Pastor Ezra Jin, who was later freed, and Jimmy Lai when he met Xi in Beijing in May.
- Min Zin was detained in China in June on accusations of espionage and endangering national security, while Chen Youlin was arrested at Beijing airport in November 2024.
Why It Matters
For Hong Kong readers, the mention of Jimmy Lai places a high-profile Hong Kong case directly inside top-level US-China diplomacy, even though no outcome was announced. Families of detainees are likely to keep pressing Washington because Trump has now publicly confirmed the issue was raised with Xi.