As Jimmy Lai's imprisonment shows, a country's economic prosperity means very little if it fails to preserve civil liberties.

In May, President Trump met with Xi Jinping in Beijing, marking the first US presidential visit to China since 2017. Trump returned with agreements to strengthen US–China relations and cooperate on major foreign policy issues. One of the most notable post-meeting developments was the speedy release of Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri, who was detained in October 2025 for leading an underground Christian church. While Jin's homecoming is a significant victory for religious liberty, Trump was unable to secure the release of another prominent political prisoner: Jimmy Lai, the Hong Kong businessman (and British citizen) who has been in jail for over five years for running the pro-democracy Apple Daily newspaper.