When Chinese President Xi Jinping comes to Washington to meet with President Donald J. Trump next week, the agenda will be crowded.
The two men will talk trade, artificial intelligence, investment and international competition — and ultimately the future of the world’s most important bilateral relationship.
Reports indicate Xi is preparing to bring a substantial delegation of Chinese business executives with him — a sign of China’s interest in strengthening ties with America. No doubt, Xi wants President Trump to reduce tariffs on Chinese goods and ease other trade restrictions that are throttling China’s economy.
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But if Xi wants to amplify this signal and show that he’s genuinely interested in playing fair with the West, he should bring another man: Jimmy Lai.
Lai is 78 years old. He is a British Catholic, newspaper publisher and longtime advocate of democracy in Hong Kong. In December 2025, a Hong Kong court convicted him of national security and sedition offenses (which were based on a ludicrous, draconian Chinese security law). On Feb. 9, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison. For a man of his age, this is effectively a life sentence.
Lai’s detention was clearly an example of the Chinese Communist Party seeking to silence public dissent in Hong Kong. It was nearly universally rejected by the Western world.
President Trump has been calling for Lai’s release since he campaigned in 2024. He reportedly brought it up again with Xi when they met in May, telling reporters prior to the meeting that “[Lai] tried to do the right thing. He wasn’t successful. Went to jail, and people would like him out. And I’d like to see him get out, too. So, I’ll bring him up again. I have brought him up.”
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In addition to President Trump’s disapproval of Lai’s incarceration, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention called for his immediate release. Other governments, including the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and other G7 countries, have also called for Lai’s release.
He has spent more than five years in prolonged solitary confinement amid, at times, incredibly hot summer conditions. This time does not count toward his two-decade sentence. He reportedly has a litany of health problems that require close monitoring, including diabetes, high blood pressure, heart issues and crippling fatigue. All the while, Lai has been denied independent specialist medical treatment.
While Hong Kong authorities claim his prosecution was a matter of national security, it is clear Lai is merely being punished for participating in journalism and peaceful political activity that criticized the Chinese government.
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If President Xi wants to make a strong impression — and clearly communicate that he is serious about seeking a better relationship with President Trump and the U.S. — he should bring Lai with him to Washington and release him to the care of his family.
Releasing Lai would not automatically settle disagreements over tariffs, Taiwan’s independence, rare earth minerals, technology trade, industrial policy, human rights or a host of other complex issues, but it would be a strong signal of good faith.
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Releasing and exonerating Lai could be a strong step toward resetting what has been a difficult international relationship between the U.S. and China.
It would certainly begin Xi’s discussions with President Trump on a good note.
