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."

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

** 博客文章文責自負,不代表本公司立場 **

On October 27, the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office took a pivotal public stance: it reposted a Ta Kung Pao commentary, “Gong Zhiping: Exposing the False Proposition of So-Called ‘Central Government Interference in SAR Elections,’” right on its official website. The message is clear, backed by legislative evidence and logical analysis—claims of “central government interference” in Hong Kong elections just don’t stand up. There’s a malicious intent behind these rumors, and it’s time someone called them out.
  
Ta Kung Pao doesn’t mince words: the eighth-term Legislative Council election for the Hong Kong SAR is playing out strictly by the book. Yet there’s a handful of players trying to muddy the waters, manufacturing “absurd theories” for cheap shots at the electoral process. Their tactics are all too familiar—spin normal legislator retirements as “forced exits,” smear fresh faces as “hand-picked loyalists,” toss out talk of a “central government blessing list,” and generate noise about “central government interference.” The aim? Stir up voter resentment.
 
Let’s not play nice here: people pushing the “central government interference” myth deserve real scrutiny, not a free pass. This is not about freedom of speech—it’s about calculated, politically motivated manipulation, designed to reject the upgraded electoral system, challenge Chinese Mainland’s authority, and take swipes at the SAR government. Their endgame? Undercut Hong Kong’s momentum from stability to prosperity.
  
A mainland political insider put it bluntly: “Chairman Mao Zedong said back in the 60s, ‘American imperialism is a paper tiger—one poke and it’s done.’” The same goes for rumors. Ignore them, and they fester—like tumors that threaten the body. Challenge them, and they fall apart. The so-called “central government interference” line fails every logical test: historical, theoretical, factual. But if nobody steps up to explain, bad ideas run unchecked.
 
The Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office showcased the Tai Kung Pao article to make the logic and evidence impossible to ignore. The goal is simple—if more Hong Kong people see through the smokescreen, then those orchestrating confusion might finally realize they’ve just wasted their time.