• Updated

As Donald Trump's meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping approaches, the family of Hong Kong's jailed activist Jimmy Lai is hopeful that the U.S. President could help free their father. Lai has been sentenced to 20 years in prison under a Beijing-imposed national security law. His son Sebastien Lai told The Associated Press that if his father dies in prison, it would devastate the family and create a martyr, so it's a lose-lose situation for everyone. While some experts are cautiously optimistic that a diplomatic solution could happen if Trump pushes it hard enough, others are pessimistic because Xi's China prioritizes national security and resists foreign interference.