Trump urges Xi to release jailed Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai

US President Donald Trump has called for the release of media tycoon Jimmy Lai, who has been jailed for around five years and is a prominent figure in Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement.

Speaking after Lai was convicted on Monday of alleged violations of Hong Kong's Beijing-imposed national security law, Trump said he had spoken with Chinese President Xi Jinping and asked him to consider freeing the 78-year-old publisher.

"I feel so badly," Trump told reporters. "He's an older man, and he's not well. So I did put that request out. We'll see what happens."

Lai, founder of the pro-democracy Apple Daily newspaper, was convicted of plotting against Beijing and Hong Kong authorities, accused of seeking to overthrow the Chinese Communist Party.

Apple Daily was forced to shut down in 2021 after authorities launched investigations under a sweeping national security law imposed by Beijing. The law criminalizes acts deemed by Beijing to constitute sedition, secession and subversion.

Critics have called the trial politically motivated, a claim rejected by China, which has condemned foreign interference.

Lai's sentencing will be announced at a later date and he faces the prospect of life imprisonment.

It remained unclear when Trump spoke with Xi.

Reports suggest Trump raised the matter during a meeting with Xi in South Korea weeks ago and during the 2024 US election campaign he promised in a podcast: "100% I'll get him out."

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio criticized the verdict, saying it enforces Beijing's laws designed to silence those advocating for free expression and other rights. Rubio cited reports that Lai's health has deteriorated significantly during his more than 1,800 days in detention and called for his release on humanitarian grounds.