Jimmy Lai Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison, but Can Trump Intervene?

WSJ Opinion: Potomac Watch

The Wall Street Journal

News, Society & Culture

4.2 • 2.8K Ratings

🗓️ 9 February 2026

⏱️ 25 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Amounting to essentially a death sentence for Jimmy Lai, the Hong Kong publisher is sentenced to 20 years in prison for violating China’s national security law. What can Donald Trump do when he meets with Xi Jinping during his visit to China later this year? Plus, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi leads her Liberal Democratic Party to victory. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Nearly home.
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0:25.6	Pros number one most trusted app based on August 2025 proprietary survey.
0:32.6	From the opinion pages of the Wall Street Journal, this is Potomac Watch.
0:41.3	On Super Bowl weekend, the world's biggest news was coming out of the Asia Pacific. Jimmy Lai, the 78-year-old jailed Hong Kong
0:48.1	publisher gets a 20-year prison sentence. What does it mean? For both his freedom, potentially, and U.S.-China relations?
0:56.5	Plus, Japan's new prime minister, Sunai Takichi, led her liberal Democratic Party to a landslide
1:03.6	victory in legislative elections. The result will strengthen her hand in relations with both
1:09.4	the U.S. and China.
1:12.6	Welcome to Potomac Watch the Daily Podcast of Wall Street Journal Opinion.
1:16.8	I'm Paul Gie Go, and I'm here with Bill McGern and Joe Sternberg, a pair of old Asia
1:23.4	hand spent many years living in Asia.
1:26.0	So after a 23-month trial and after five years in prison,
1:31.9	Jimmy Lai gets what is essentially a death sentence. With 20 years in prison, he is 78 years old
1:39.5	and an ill health and will undoubtedly die in prison unless he is released.
1:45.1	Let's listen to his son, Sebastian.
1:47.1	Talk about the sentence and the case against his father on the BBC.
	...

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