Trump says he discussed political prisoners with Xi

Thursday 01 - 08:00

By: Azzat Manal

Trump says he discussed political prisoners with Xi

U.S. President Donald Trump said he discussed the release of political prisoners with Chinese President Xi Jinping during their meeting at the White House last week, adding that he hoped the talks would produce results.

Trump made the comments on Wednesday when reporters asked whether he had raised the cases of detainees including Min Zin, a Myanmar-born U.S. citizen and scholar detained in China in June, and Jimmy Lai, the Hong Kong media tycoon and prominent critic of Beijing. “I did with President Xi. I did,” Trump said, without providing details about the specific cases discussed.

The president said the two leaders had held what he described as important discussions and expressed hope that they would prove fruitful. Neither Washington nor Beijing has publicly provided a detailed account of the prisoners or cases addressed during the conversation.

The issue of Americans detained overseas has been a priority for the Trump administration. Ahead of Xi’s visit, the White House said Trump was expected to raise cases involving people Washington considers to have been wrongfully detained in China.

Min Zin was arrested by Chinese authorities in June while visiting China for an academic workshop. Washington later designated him as wrongfully detained. His wife publicly appealed to Trump before the summit, asking him to seek her husband's release.

Lai, the founder of the now-shuttered Apple Daily newspaper, has become one of the most prominent cases in international discussions over Hong Kong's national security crackdown. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison in February after being convicted of charges including conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and publishing seditious material.

Trump had previously raised Lai’s case with Xi during an earlier meeting, according to reports, but said he was told that it was a difficult matter. The United States has also publicly criticized Lai’s conviction and sentence.

It remains unclear whether the latest discussions included broader human rights issues involving Tibet, China's Uyghur population or Beijing's legislation on ethnic unity. The White House has not indicated that these subjects were specifically raised during the summit.

The discussion of detainees took place during a three-day visit by Xi to Washington, where the two leaders also addressed trade and other areas of the U.S.-China relationship. The summit was closely watched for signs of progress in efforts to manage tensions between the world's two largest economies.

For families of detainees, Trump's statement provides confirmation that the issue was raised, but the outcome of the discussions remains uncertain. No release of Min Zin or Lai has been announced following the meeting.