Jimmy Lai in 2020. (©Sankei by Kinya Fujimoto)
Sebastien Lai, the son of detained pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai and a leading advocate for his release, held a press conference in Washington on September 9.
After five years of detention by Chinese authorities, his father's health has sharply declined, he stressed. Jimmy Lai's condition is now in critical condition.
Sebastien is placing his greatest hopes on United States President Donald Trump exerting pressure on China. In addition, he stated that stronger calls from Japan for his father's release would also carry significant weight.
From Arrest to Trial
Jimmy Lai is internationally recognized for founding Hong Kong's pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily and opposing Beijing's crackdown on the special administrative region. Lai was arrested in December 2020 under charges of violating China's newly imposed Hong Kong National Security Law.
Despite protests from both the United Kingdom and the US, the detention and prosecution of Lai, a British national, continued. His trial concluded on August 28, 2025, with a verdict expected in due course.
Sebastien Lai once worked in his father's business. However, he has spent the past five years focused on international efforts to secure his father's release.
In Washington, he continuously appealed for support from the Trump administration and the US Congress.
A Son's Urgent Plea
The press conference was hosted by the America First Policy Institute, a Washington policy research institute with close ties to the Trump administration. Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ), co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional-Executive Commission on China and a longtime critic of Beijing's human rights abuses, also attended and delivered remarks.
Sebastien said his 77-year-old father suffers from diabetes and other health problems. His health "has recently deteriorated due to confinement and harsh interrogations, including torture."
"If this continues," Sebastien added, "he may die."
Sebastien Lai voiced strong hopes that both President Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will directly press Chinese President Xi Jinping to secure his father's freedom.
At the press conference, Representative Smith recounted that, "President Trump has vowed to continue pressing for Mr Lai's release." He added, "pressure connected to China's economy and trade would be most effective."
According to Representative Smith, if President Trump were to leverage economic measures against China for Lai's release, the Xi administration might be compelled to respond.
Smith's record includes advancing legislation and Congressional resolutions related to China and Hong Kong. He has nominated Lai for the Nobel Peace Prize and succeeded in having a street in Washington, DC, designated as "Jimmy Lai Way."
Calls for Global Pressure
Sebastien Lai agreed on the effectiveness of using economic and trade ties to pressure China. "If countries like Japan, which have even deeper economic engagement with China than the US and UK, raise their voices in protest, it would be more effective," he said.
He also expressed appreciation for the concern and attention shown in Japan over his father's situation. At the same time, he suggested it would be even more meaningful if that sentiment were voiced directly by the government and political leaders.
Sebastien Lai described the Chinese government's recent crackdown on democratization as "the weaponization of new legal tools to maintain authoritarian rule," reiterating his warning about the dangers of the National Security Law.
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Author: Yoshihisa Komori, Associate Correspondent in Washington for The Sankei Shimbun
