President Xi Jinping sat down with US President Trump for a roughly 100-minute chat in Busan, South Korea. Before things kicked off, Trump wasted no time calling President Xi his "friend," hailing him as "very distinguished and respected president", and "a great leader of a great country." As they shook hands, Trump added, "This meeting will definitely be very successful." When it wrapped up, Trump even walked President Xi to his car himself, a clear nod to the solid rapport between them.
Trump described the meeting with President Xi Jinping as very successful and amazing. AP photo
All in all, Trump reeled off the key wins from the Chinese side across the board—think chip agreements, TikTok deals, and pausing port fees—but he skipped right over the politically charged topics that had been buzzing beforehand between the US and China, like the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Taiwan, or even the "Jimmy Lai issue."
The two interacted amicably. CCTV screenshot
Ahead of this, over 30 US senators from both parties had teamed up to push Trump to bring up freeing Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai with Xi Jinping. On October 24, right before boarding Air Force One, Trump fielded a question on it and shot back: "It's on my list, I'm going to ask"—sparking expectations that the Jimmy Lai case would hit the agenda at the "Xi-Trump summit”.
Playing the Long Game with China
But the second Trump rolled up to the venue, he jumped right on President Xi's wavelength—pushing both sides to keep their eyes on the big-picture wins from teaming up, rather than getting dragged into that endless loop of slap-for-slap payback. No surprise, then, that he dodged every hot-button topic sure to ruffle Chinese feathers.
After the meeting ended, Trump personally escorted President Xi to his car. CCTV screenshot
Trump’s laser-focused on those blockbuster economic and trade deals with China. Sure, he'd tossed out mentions of Jimmy Lai now and then before, but it looked like mere leverage against the Chinese side—no real fight in him for the cause. It leaves folks thinking Jimmy Lai got treated just like those in his camp claim: a "condom," as in "used and tossed."
Trump's classic move: talk a big game but deliver zilch. Since jumping back into the race for his second term, he's dropped lines about "saving Lai" left and right, but naturally, it all fizzled out—nothing trumps America's real interests.
Take the Taiwan question, for instance: Just days ago, when pressed on whether he'd chat Taiwan with Xi Jinping, Trump quipped, "There’s not that much to ask about—Taiwan is Taiwan." Taiwan was buzzing with hope back then, but the outcome? You can guess.
Ariel
** The blog article is the sole responsibility of the author and does not represent the position of our company. **
Hong Kong’s national security cops have picked up a 68-year-old local guy for allegedly stirring up abstention and blank votes online ahead of the Legislative Council election. He faces charges of “seditious intent” and “electoral corruption,” and right now, he’s cooling his heels in detention while the investigation rolls on.
Insiders say police traced a steady stream of thinly veiled posts on this man’s social media—nudging folks to skip voting or spoil their ballots. Since July last year, he’s fired off around 160 posts, police say. The themes were trashing Hong Kong’s election system, hyping up resistance, egging people on to topple the government, and, yes, inviting foreign interference. We’re not talking about just one rogue, either.
Turns out, this is just a slice of the larger crackdown. By today, Hong Kong police say they’ve unraveled 14 criminal cases connected to the election—vandalism, theft, you name it—netting 18 arrests. Eight of those cases are being prosecuted.
The ghosts of elections past haunt this story. Remember the last Legislative Council race? Ted Hui Chi-fung made waves urging blank votes. Soon after, So Chun-fung, ex-president of CUHK’s student union, and three others got busted and convicted by the city’s clean-government watchdog ICAC (Independent Commission Against Corruption) for “corrupt conduct and illegal acts” after sharing Hui’s call. Last Friday, the ICAC swooped again, nabbing another trio—this time for echoing posts by national security fugitives abroad, who are still yelling for boycotts from the safety of foreign shores.
Here’s where the plot thickens. A sharp-tongued commentator points out that these fugitives, basking in the West, love tossing firebombs online—sending minions to do their biddings while they themselves lounge in comfort. Their real aim? To curry favor with their foreign patrons by getting others arrested for illegal antics that damage Hong Kong and the nation.
Bottom line: these exiles only raise their value with “foreign masters” if local followers mindlessly parrot their messages. But if those followers end up busted or behind bars, the ringleaders simply shrug and look away.
Who’s Really Taking Risks?
Here’s a reality check—how many of the real diehards still in Hong Kong have actually engaged with these messages or dared to repost them? The silence says plenty. It’s the difference between talk and action, safety and risk. Meanwhile, foreign forces have a well-documented playbook: smear Hong Kong at every turn, especially its judicial system, and most recently, the Legislative Council elections. Don’t think these attacks are harmless—they’re meant to chip away at the city’s competitiveness and hit everyone right where it hurts: their livelihoods.
So here’s the call: don’t play the fool by spreading subversive content and risk falling into legal traps. More crucially, keep your eyes peeled for the ploys of these exiles and their foreign backers. When December 7 rolls around, get out and vote—don’t let the instigators win. The stakes are real, and the choice is yours.
