Trump Says He and Xi Discussed Releasing Imprisoned China Critic

Although he acknowledged he was unable to secure Lai’s release from Hong Kong, Donald Trump pointed to what he described as the release of “hundreds” of prisoners during his time in office, including American pastor Andrew Brunson from Turkey, Fox News reported.

Trump also criticized former President Joe Biden’s approach to prisoner negotiations, arguing that it resulted in unnecessary costs for the United States.

“I’ve gotten hundreds of people out, and, by the way, I don’t pay a lot of money. I don’t pay any money, like Biden, where they give $6 billion all the time to get people out,” said Trump.

Lai’s release is not the only issue on which the two world superpowers struggle to find common ground. Another significant point of contention is Taiwan, which Xi warned could lead to “clashes and even conflicts” between the United States and China.