USA16 May, 20262 min read
Trump Says Xi Jinping’s Response On Jimmy Lai Release Was Not Positive
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Jimmy Lai's release was broached during Trump-Xi talks. Trump publicly conveyed Xi Jinping's response to Lai's release.
Trump, Xi, and Jimmy Lai
President Donald Trump said Chinese President Xi Jinping’s response to possibly releasing imprisoned Chinese critic Jimmy Lai was “not positive,” telling “Special Report” that Xi said it was “his worst nightmare.” Trump said he brought up Lai while speaking with Xi “at length” about Lai’s declining health, and he added, “I did not feel optimistic.”
“‘I would say the response to that was not positive.”
EWTN News reported that after Trump’s Beijing meeting, Trump said Xi Jinping told him “Jimmy Lai is a tough one for him to do.” In the same coverage, EWTN News quoted Trump saying, “I think heʼs giving very serious consideration to the pastor,” referring to Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri, who was detained by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
China prisoners and US leverage
CNN reported that relatives of Dawn Michelle Hunt and Nelson Wells Jr., both jailed in China for over a decade, expressed disappointment after President Trump failed to secure their release. The CNN account frames the families’ frustration as directed to Victor Blackwell after Trump’s visit, with the relatives describing their disappointment over the lack of secured release.
In parallel, New York Post said Trump touted “hundreds” of prisoners he has helped release, including American Pastor Andrew Brunson from Turkey. New York Post also quoted Trump criticizing former President Joe Biden’s prisoner release strategy, saying it involved “$6 billion all the time to get people out,” while Trump said he “doesn’t pay any money.”
Iran talks and US stakes
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported that Iran and the United States cut diplomatic relations in 1980, and it quoted Mehdi Taj saying, “No visas have been issued yet.” The same report said FIFA President Gianni Infantino told an annual congress in Vancouver last month that: “of course, Iran will play in the United States of America.”
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty also said Iran plans to reopen its stock market on May 19 after being suspended during the active phase war with the US and Israel, citing Hamid Yari of Iran's Securities and Exchange Organization. It further reported that Iranian authorities said 30 people have been executed on political grounds since February 28, and it quoted the judicial system report describing those executed as found guilty of “espionage” and “terrorism.”