U.S. President Donald Trump stated in an interview that he hopes to do everything he can to help rescue Hong Kong Next Digital Group founder Jimmy Lai, who is currently detained.
In an interview with Fox News Radio on the 14th, Trump said: “I will do everything possible to save him. We'll see what can be done… We will do everything possible.” He added that such actions may not necessarily make Chinese President Xi Jinping “very happy.”
77-year-old Jimmy Lai pleaded not guilty to charges of colluding with foreign forces under the Hong Kong National Security Law, as well as another charge of conspiring to publish seditious material. He has been held in solitary confinement for over 1,500 days since December 2020.
Chinese Embassy spokesperson in Washington, Liu Pengyu, stated that Jimmy Lai is “a chief organizer and participant in anti-China and destabilizing activities in Hong Kong.” He said, “We firmly oppose external forces using judicial cases to interfere in China’s internal affairs and to smear or undermine the rule of law in Hong Kong.”