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Lincoln Jopp
Main Page: Lincoln Jopp (Conservative - Spelthorne)Department Debates - View all Lincoln Jopp's debates with the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
(2 days, 15 hours ago)
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Lincoln Jopp (Spelthorne) (Con)
When President Trump met Xi Jinping last month, the US President raised with the Chairman the case of imprisoned British citizen Jimmy Lai. Has the Minister had a readout from that conversation, and what can he tell us about his own efforts to bring about Jimmy Lai’s release?
Stephen Doughty
The Foreign Secretary and I take this case incredibly seriously, and the Prime Minister also raised it with President Trump. As I have said on a number of occasions, we condemn in the strongest terms the politically motivated prosecution of Jimmy Lai. The national security law was imposed on Hong Kong to silence China’s critics. For someone who is 78, a 20-year sentence is tantamount to a life sentence. We are deeply concerned for his health. This is a priority for the Government, and we raise the case at every possible opportunity, both directly with China and with other partners.