# Ahead of Trump-Xi meeting, will Trump again seek Jimmy Lai’s release?

https://mins.news/en/item/70312

- BBC Chinese, 2026-09-23 09:17 UTC
- World
- Original: https://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/articles/cry8zw43qn4po/trad?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

> As Donald Trump and Xi Jinping prepare to meet, scholars expect Trump to raise Jimmy Lai’s case again. They say releasing Lai could offer China an opportunity to demonstrate soft power, but judge Beijing’s agreement highly unlikely. Lai is serving a 20-year sentence under Hong Kong’s national security law; his family says his health has worsened, while officials dispute that account.

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