As President Donald Trump prepares for a crucial summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, growing bipartisan pressure is urging the administration to make the issue of political prisoners a priority during talks in Beijing. Congressman Chris Smith of New Jersey, co-chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, is leading a push supported by over 100 lawmakers demanding the release of jailed Hong Kong publisher Jimmy Lai.
Lai, who founded the now-closed pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, has remained imprisoned since 2020 under the national security law imposed in Hong Kong. Smith emphasized Lai’s deteriorating health and the harsh conditions he faces, describing the situation as increasingly urgent due to Lai’s age and medical concerns. The congressman acknowledged bipartisan solidarity in Congress backing Trump's call for Lai’s humanitarian release.
Beyond Lai’s case, Smith highlighted other detained individuals, such as Pastor Ezra Jin, whose imprisonment has raised alarms among religious freedom advocates. Smith’s longstanding criticism of the Chinese Communist Party focuses on its treatment of political dissidents, religious minorities, and pro-democracy activists.
Amid escalating economic and geopolitical tensions, Trump plans to present a firm stance on human rights, seeking to distinguish his administration’s approach from prior ones considered less confrontational. The upcoming summit with Xi offers an opportunity for the U.S. to press Beijing directly on these human rights concerns at the highest diplomatic level.