Trump Ditches Jimmy Lai: A "Condom" in His China Playbook?

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."

The Jimmy Lai issue did not become a topic in the Xi-Trump meeting.

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

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Zhang Xinyan was a member of the 'Hong Kong Parliament' wanted by the Hong Kong police. She was first detained by Thai police.

But on August 3, she was allowed to fly. She left Bangkok for Vancouver, Canada.

Zhang Xinyan, a wanted member of the 'Hong Kong Parliament'.

The Globe and Mail reports Zhang is a Falun Gong practitioner. In China, Falun Gong is banned. It is listed as an illegal organization.

Zhang had been living in Thailand since 2014. In May, Thai police discovered she had overstayed her visa. They detained her in Bangkok.

Zhang was originally scheduled to fly to Vancouver. But at the last moment before boarding, Thai police discovered her and detained her.

The 'Hong Kong Parliament' is an illegal outfit based in Toronto. It recruits worldwide. Zhang, living in Thailand, signed up. She became one of 15 members.

Then the Hong Kong Police National Security Department put a price on their heads. A HK$200,000 bounty was offered for several members, Zhang included. The charge: subverting state power, a crime under the Hong Kong National Security Law.

Reactions: Canada as a 'Gathering Place for Scum'

Zhang was reportedly applying to immigrate to Canada when she was detained.

Canada later confirmed it would take her, the thinking goes. So Thailand sent her on her way.

Canadians are split on taking in these political refugees. Some Hong Kong immigrants in Canada say the more political dissidents Canada accepts, the more it stirs up local resentment toward ethnic minorities.

Some netizens commented: Sending scum to Canada is actually quite good, making Canada a scum haven!