Among those who have not given up hope that Jimmy Lai will be freed is Congressman Chris Smith.
In an interview with Voice of America, Smith urges President Trump to make the fate of the Hong Kong dissident and former Apple Daily publisher a top priority when he meets with Xi in Beijing. That summit is now expected to take place in May (April 3, 2026).
“We sincerely hope that during the face-to-face meeting, the president will look Xi Jinping in the eye and say, ‘Let this man go’….
“[Jimmy Lai] could have fled Hong Kong when the general trend was gone, and seeing Hong Kong unfortunately go in the wrong direction. But he chose to stay. He stayed with Apple Daily, he stayed with his reporters and, above all, with the people. Because he insisted, and I think his argument is very convincing, that everyone deserves to enjoy basic human rights, and that the Basic Law provides for the protection of basic human rights. However, this guarantee has now been torn apart by Xi Jinping. They also had the Sino-British Joint Declaration, which also guaranteed basic human rights, freedoms and democracy. Unfortunately, all of this has now been overturned by Xi Jinping.
“But Jimmy Lai is an amazing person. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison. He is 78 years old; If he is released in the future, he will be 98 years old, if he can live to that time. His physical condition is very bad now. Therefore, we call on Xi Jinping and the Hong Kong authorities to grant him parole based on humanitarian considerations. I mean, at the very least, the Government should at least grant the release of such a person who has not committed any crime, on the basis of his extremely critical health.”
Unfortunately, Xi Jinping and his cohorts are quite prepared, in the absence of any real pressure, to let Jimmy Lai die in prison regardless of his medical condition. The Chinese Communist Party is determined to pretend that Lai deserves everything that has been happening to him.
President Trump was not willing to press for Lai’s release with any great urgency in Busan last year. He reportedly asked Xi to release him. And that’s it. Xi hasn’t lost anything as a result of refusing. Nor is the prisoner’s fate likely to be at the top of the agenda in Beijing. It would be nice to be wrong.
Also see:
Chinese Human Rights Defenders: “ ‘In a Prison Cell Waiting for Daybreak’：Arbitrary Detention in China May Constitute Crimes Against Humanity”
