U.S. President Donald Trump announced he would raise the issue of Jimmy Lai, a pro-democracy media figure in Hong Kong, during his summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

According to Bloomberg News on the 4th (local time), when asked in an interview with the conservative online broadcast 'Salem News Channel' whether he would discuss the Lai issue with President Xi, President Trump stated, "I am going to raise that issue."

President Trump is scheduled to visit China on the 14th-15th to hold a summit with President Xi.

President Trump mentioned that he had brought up the Lai issue during his meeting with President Xi in South Korea last October on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, saying, "There is a bit of bad feeling between him (President Xi) and Lai. The Hong Kong issue was not that easy."

Prior to this, President Trump had vowed to "get him out" and stated during his presidential campaign two years ago that restoring the freedom of democracy activists would be "easy."

Lai, the founder of Hong Kong's prominent anti-China media outlet 'Apple Daily' and a symbol of the Hong Kong democracy movement, has been indicted on three counts of violating the National Security Law, including collusion with foreign forces and publishing seditious materials.

He was sentenced to 20 years in prison in February and is currently serving his sentence.

The 20-year prison sentence is the heaviest penalty handed down in a case related to the National Security Law, which China introduced the year after the massive anti-government protests in Hong Kong in 2019.

Lai's family and supporters have been campaigning for his release, and his son Sebastien has expressed hope that President Trump's visit to China could be a significant turning point for his father's release.

However, Chinese and Hong Kong authorities have strongly opposed any attempts at external intervention in Lai's case.

In March, China's Foreign Ministry stated, "We firmly oppose external forces interfering in Hong Kong's judiciary and China's internal affairs," in response to reports that President Trump might request Lai's release.

Jimmy Lai [AP=Yonhap News Archive]