Trump: Discussed the release of political prisoners with Xi

US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he discussed the issue of releasing political prisoners with Chinese President Xi Jinping during the leaders' meeting last week.

When asked by journalists whether he had raised the issue of political prisoners such as Myanmar researcher and US citizen Min Zin, detained in June, and Jimmy Lai, China's most prominent critic in Hong Kong and media tycoon there, Trump replied, "I discussed it with President Xi. Yes, I did."

"We talked, and I think we had some very important discussions. I hope they were productive," Trump said.

For its part, the White House stated before Xi's visit that it was expected for Trump to raise with the Chinese leader the issue of those wrongfully detained in China.

The White House did not mention whether Trump wanted to raise broader human rights issues related to Tibet, the Muslim Uyghur minority, and China's new "Ethnic Unity" law.

Trump made the release of Americans detained abroad, including those in China, a priority, but largely avoided speaking about China's treatment of Tibet, the Uyghurs, and opposition voices.

Lai's case has raised global concerns about strict measures taken in the name of national security in Hong Kong, which partly reflects his prominent status as founder of the now-closed Apple Daily newspaper. He was sentenced in February to 20 years in prison.

Washington stated that Myanmar researcher and US citizen Min Zin have been illegally detained since August after being arrested by Chinese authorities in June.