Chinese human rights cases in limbo after Trump-Xi summit

During his summit with China's Xi Jinping this month , US President Donald Trump said that he brought up two prisoners — Christian pastor Ezra Jin Mingri and Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai. Mingri is the founder of the Zion Protestant Church, one of China 's largest underground churches, who was arrested in 2025 . Lai, meanwhile, was sentenced in February to 20 years for foreign collusion and sedition over his ownership of the now-defunct, pro-democracy Apple Daily newspaper.

In remarks to reporters on May 15, Trump said Xi had said he would "strongly consider the pastor." But the US president pointed out that his Chinese counterpart had described Lai's case as "a tough one," with Trump admitting he "didn't feel optimistic" about it. Jimmy Lai: A life that rose and fell with Hong Kong To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Afterward, both Jin's and Lai's families thanked Trump and the White House for the support at such a closely watched summit. "We're really grateful that the President mentioned my father at such a consequential meeting," Grace Jin Drexel, Pastor Jin's daughter, told DW. Lai's daughter, Claire Lai, also thanked the Trump administration "for their commitment to my father's release" as she received Lai's Freedom Award from Freedom House last week. However, since Trump's remarks, there have been no further updates from either Washington or Beijing. "We have not heard any other developments other than what's been made public," Drexel said. "I trust that the administration and all the staff in his [Trump] cabinet are following up." With Trump inviting Xi to the White House in September, advocacy groups see that upcoming visit as a chance to pressure the Chinese leader to release political prisoners. "We in the activist community are very focused on Xi Jinping's visit," Mark Clifford, the president of the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong and former director of Lai's publisher Next Digital, told DW. "Although Trump tried to downplay expectations, he never said it was impossible." Nathan Law: Jimmy Lai prison sentence 'devastating' Pastor Jin's family remains 'cautiously optimistic' Jin and 17 Zion Church members have been detained in Guangxi, China, since the government arrested 29 people in October 2025. The pastor was charged with "illegally using information networks" for online preaching in the unregistered underground Protestant church, which operates outside government control. Drexel said that her father "is not doing well in prison" and that Jin has diabetes. As Trump stated that Xi was considering releasing the pastor, Drexel remained "cautiously optimistic." "This is all very new, and I don't think anyone really has prepared or has a playbook," she said.

Key points

• In remarks to reporters on May 15, Trump said Xi had said he would "strongly consider the pastor." But the US president pointed out that his Chinese counterpart had described Lai's case as "a tough…
• Jimmy Lai: A life that rose and fell with Hong Kong To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Afterward, both Jin's and Lai's fa…
• "We're really grateful that the President mentioned my father at such a consequential meeting," Grace Jin Drexel, Pastor Jin's daughter, told DW.
• Lai's daughter, Claire Lai, also thanked the Trump administration "for their commitment to my father's release" as she received Lai's Freedom Award from Freedom House last week.
• However, since Trump's remarks, there have been no further updates from either Washington or Beijing.