Archive · 1 Oct 2026
Trump Says He Discussed Political Prisoners With Xi Jinping
Donald Trump said he talked with Xi Jinping about people held by China.
The leaders met last week.
Trump said their discussions were important and might produce good results.
Two cases mentioned were Min Zin and Jimmy Lai.
Min Zin is a Myanmar scholar and U.S. citizen.
Chinese authorities arrested him in June, and the United States later called his detention wrongful.
Jimmy Lai is a Hong Kong media owner who received a 20-year prison sentence.
Trump has made helping Americans held in other countries a priority.
President Donald Trump said he discussed political prisoners with Chinese President Xi Jinping during their meeting last week.
Trump said the conversation included cases such as Myanmar scholar and U.S. citizen Min Zin and Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai.
The White House had said Trump was expected to raise cases of people it considered wrongfully detained in China.
Min Zin was designated by Washington as wrongfully detained in August after Chinese authorities arrested him in June.
Jimmy Lai was sentenced to 20 years in prison in February over conspiracy and sedition-related convictions.
- Who
- U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping; the cases discussed included Min Zin and Jimmy Lai.
- What
- Trump said he raised the release of political prisoners and people the United States considers wrongfully detained in China.
- When
- Trump made the statement on Wednesday, referring to his meeting with Xi Jinping the previous week.
- Where
- The discussion took place during Trump and Xi Jinping's meeting; the article does not specify the meeting location.
- Why
- Trump has prioritized securing the freedom of Americans held overseas, while the White House had expected him to raise wrongful-detention cases.
- U.S. president
- Donald Trump
- Chinese president
- Xi Jinping
- Min Zin
- A Myanmar scholar and U.S. citizen arrested by Chinese authorities in June
- U.S. designation
- Washington designated Min Zin as wrongfully detained in August
- Jimmy Lai
- Hong Kong media tycoon and founder of the now-shuttered Apple Daily newspaper
- Lai's sentence
- 20 years in jail, imposed in February
- Broader rights issues
- The White House did not say whether Trump raised Tibet, Uyghur rights, or China's ethnic unity law