Trump Wants To Save Hong Kong Tycoon Jimmy Lai, China Against Foreign Intervention

US President Donald Trump/PHOTO White House Via Wikimedia Commons

JAKARTA - US President Donald Trump intends to help "accompany" the detained Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai. Trump's actions could make Chinese President Xi Jinping unhappy.

"I will do whatever I can to save him," Trump told the show "The Brian Kilmeade Show" on Fox News Radio.

"We'll see what we can do. We'll do everything we can," he continued.

Lai, 77, has pleaded not guilty to charges under the Hong Kong National Security Act, namely conspiracy to collude with foreign powers, as well as separate charges, namely conspiracy to issue inciting material.

He has been detained in isolation cells for more than 1,500 days since December 2020.

Liu Pengyu, spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, said Lai was a key organizer and participant in anti-Chinese activities that destabilized Hong Kong.

"We strongly oppose external forces that use judicial cases as an excuse to interfere in China's internal affairs or to defame and weaken Hong Kong's rule of law," he said.

Trump said he would raise Lai's case as part of negotiations with China over trade and tariffs.

On Monday, the US and China extended the tariff ceasefire for another 90 days, preventing the imposition of three-digit import duties on each item.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said trade officials from both sides would meet again in the next two or three months to discuss the future of economic relations.