The International Press Institute (IPI) calls on U.S. President Donald Trump to press for the release of imprisoned British-Hong Kong journalist and businessman Jimmy Lai when he meets Chinese President Xi Jinping at the White House on September 24. Lai, a 2025 IPI-IMS World Press Freedom Hero, is 78 and his health is deteriorating rapidly behind bars.
For the first time in more than a decade, the Chinese leader will be welcomed to the White House on September 24 for a day of meetings with Trump on topics including trade, artificial intelligence, and the ongoing U.S. war with Iran.
Trump has repeatedly pressed Xi to release Lai, a media tycoon and founder of the now-closed pro-democracy outlet Apple Daily, who has been imprisoned for nearly six years under Hong Kong’s draconian National Security Law. Trump most recently raised Lai’s case during the two leaders’ last summit in May 2026.
In a conversation with Trump ahead of Xi’s arrival in Washington, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham reportedly asked the president to raise the case of Lai, who is also a British citizen. Republican and Democratic members of Congress also called for Lai’s release ahead of the visit on humanitarian grounds.
A Hong Kong court sentenced Lai to 20 years in prison in February 2026, effectively a life sentence, following a lengthy trial marred by delays and postponements. Lai has spent most of his time in custody in solitary confinement, both before and after his conviction, at a heavy cost to his physical health.
Lai’s children have warned that his ongoing health conditions, which include heart issues, diabetes, and hypertension, may soon prove fatal. “If he is not freed soon, he will most likely die in prison,” Lai’s son, Sebastien Lai, said in recent testimony before Congress.
China has been repeatedly ranked as one of the world’s leading jailer of journalists, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists’ index, as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) continues to curtail media freedom and censor information in the country. In addition to Lai, several prominent journalists remain behind bars, including Zhang Zhan and Dong Yuyu.
“The release of Jimmy Lai, and the many other journalists Beijing holds behind bars, must be on the agenda during Trump and Xi’s talks tomorrow,” IPI Executive Director Scott Griffen said. “Jimmy’s release is long overdue. Securing his freedom, which Trump has long called for, would be a powerful signal of the United States’ continued commitment to supporting and prioritising the cases of those punished for fighting for the values of freedom and democracy.”
In October 2025, IPI named Lai a IPI-IMS World Press Freedom Hero in recognition of his continued defence of press freedom and democracy, despite the immense personal cost. Sebastien Lai, his son, accepted the award on his behalf.