US senators call on Trump to show support for Jimmy Lai in meeting with Xi

A bipartisan group of 38 US senators is urging President Donald Trump to use his expected summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea next week to secure the release of former Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, the latest in the US Congress’s efforts to get human rights on the agenda of the high-stakes meeting.

In a letter released on Friday, the lawmakers described Lai as a political prisoner and said the case for his release was “more dire than ever” due to his worsening health.

“At 78 years old, he is in poor and deteriorating health. He is a diabetic and suffers from numerous physical ailments that are compounded by his continuing incarceration,” they wrote.

“Mr Lai’s representatives have assured us that if he is released, he will leave Hong Kong and never return. He would have no desire to remain in public life. Should he die in prison, on the other hand, he would become a martyr; a powerful and enduring symbol of opposition.”

The letter sent to Trump, dated October 23, was led by two Republicans, Rick Scott of Florida, and James Risch, the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Lai is currently awaiting a verdict after a marathon national security trial in Hong Kong that concluded earlier this year.