The President of the United States, Donald Trump, stated that he will ask the Chinese leader Xi Jinping for the release of the Hong Kong Catholic businessman Jimmy Lai, who has been imprisoned since 2020 under the national security law imposed by Beijing. “He’s on my list,” the Republican said to EWTN News reporters before boarding his plane, when asked if he would mention the case during his upcoming meeting with Xi.
Jimmy Lai, Catholic Voice Against Chinese Authoritarianism
Lai, 76 years old, is the founder of the now-defunct newspaper Apple Daily and one of the most emblematic figures of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement. Converted to Catholicism in 1997, he has been an outspoken defender of religious freedom and human rights. Since his detention in 2020, he faces a life sentence for alleged “collusion with foreign powers,” charges that his supporters consider purely political.
His case has been denounced by Amnesty International and Catholic organizations worldwide as an example of persecution against freedom of conscience. In 2024, Cardinal Zen, the emeritus bishop of Hong Kong, publicly called for prayers for Lai, “a man who suffers for remaining faithful to Christ.”
Bipartisan Support in the United States
Several Democratic and Republican senators sent a letter to Trump urging him to include Jimmy Lai’s case in his dialogue with Beijing. The letter highlights that the businessman is “a global symbol of press freedom and faith under persecution” and that his physical deterioration in prison demands urgent action.
“His imprisonment is an affront to the fundamental values of freedom, justice, and religion that the United States must defend,” the senators stated in the letter, backed by the Foreign Relations Committee.
A Matter of Faith and Human Rights
Lai’s case is not only political but also spiritual. As a practicing Catholic, the businessman has declared that his faith is the source of his strength and hope amid persecution. “If I didn’t believe in God, I would have given up long ago,” he wrote in a letter sent from prison to his friends and family.
His testimony has become an example of Christian coherence in the face of repression, reminding many of other Catholics persecuted on the Chinese mainland, where communities faithful to Rome continue to be monitored and controlled by the communist regime.
Diplomatic and Religious Implications
Trump’s intervention introduces a new element into the tense relationship between Washington and Beijing. Beyond the political aspect, the gesture could increase international pressure on the Chinese regime and strengthen the global defense of religious freedom, one of the most sensitive issues on Asia’s human rights agenda.
For the Catholic Church, Jimmy Lai’s case symbolizes the believer’s fidelity who does not negotiate his conscience, even in the face of power. His name is added to the long list of Christians imprisoned for their faith, whose cause transcends ideological or partisan borders.