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The son of British media tycoon Jimmy Lai has thanked Donald Trump for promising to raise the matter of his father’s incarceration when he meets Chinese president Xi Jinping on Thursday.

Mr Lai, the 77-year-old founder of the now-shuttered newspaper Apple Daily, is awaiting a verdict on charges of sedition and collusion with foreign powers under Hong Kong’s draconian national security law. The ailing pro-democracy activist has pleaded not guilty, but faces the prospect of life in prison if convicted.

Mr Trump is due to meet Xi in South Korea on the sidelines of a regional summit, and has said Mr Lai’s case is “on my list” to discuss alongside matters such as trade tariffs and Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Responding to Mr Trump’s remarks, Mr Lai’s son Sebastien told The Independent: “I am very grateful to President Trump for his commitment to saving my father’s life. We hope that he convinces President Xi to free my father.”

The issue of Jimmy Lai’s case was brought to Mr Trump’s attention in a joint letter penned by Republican senator Rick Scott and signed by more than 30 US lawmakers, urging the president to intervene due to Mr Lai’s deteriorating health.

“The humanitarian case for Mr Lai’s release is stronger and more dire than ever, which is why this must be addressed at the highest possible level,” the lawmakers wrote.

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Sebastien Lai, son of Jimmy, speaks during a press conference outside Downing Street in London in September (AFP/Getty)

While departing for his five-day Asia tour this week, Mr Trump told reporters: “I have a lot of respect for Rick Scott and a lot of them that are asking me to do that [raise Mr Lai’s case], and it’s on my list. I’m going to ask.

“Look, they’re big enemies, so we’ll see what happens, you know. Jimmy Lai and President Xi are big enemies, but it’s been a long time,” Trump added.

Hopes of a breakthrough from the Trump-Xi meeting come after a relentless campaign, led by Sebastien, urging the international community to increase pressure on China to release his father, whose high-profile trial is being viewed as a test of press freedom and judicial independence in the Asian financial hub.

Concerns over Mr Lai’s health delayed the delivery of closing arguments in his trial in August, with the authorities eventually issuing him a heart monitor to be worn during the proceedings. He has been kept in solitary confinement for nearly four years for his role in the pro-democracy protests of 2019, which eventually ended with Beijing imposing new national security laws in the city.

Sebastien has repeatedly warned that his father suffers from diabetes and says he has lost weight due to being denied independent medical care.

On the campaign trail last year, Mr Trump said he would secure Mr Lai’s release if elected. “One hundred per cent, I will get him out,” he said at the time. Trump then denied saying he would “100 per cent” save Mr Lai, but rather that he would raise the issue with Mr Xi at some point.

Sebastien last month said he believed it was in China’s interests to free Mr Lai, warning that he would become a martyr for the pro-democracy movement if he died behind bars. “It’s horrible for me to say this, but if my father dies in prison, he’s actually a stronger symbol of freedom, of martyrdom for your beliefs,” he said.

The Chinese foreign ministry in Hong Kong has criticised the joint letter signed by US lawmakers that urged Mr Trump to seek Mr Lai’s release.

“The US politicians concerned have sought to exonerate [Jimmy Lai], harboured and glorified him, and interfered in the administration of justice in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, which is a serious violation of the principles of international law and the basic norms of international relations,” the Chinese-language statement said, according to Hong Kong Free Press.

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Media tycoon Lai is escorted into a Hong Kong Correctional Services van outside the Court of Final Appeal in Hong Kong in 2021 (AFP via Getty)

The Chinese foreign ministry said that the call for Mr Trump to raise the issue amounted to “open support” for the jailed “anti-China” tycoon.

Though it has now been weeks since the August conclusion of closing arguments in a trial that stretched to nearly 160 days, it remains unclear when the court will deliver its verdict in Mr Lai’s case.

“The US, UK, Australian and Canadian Governments, the EU and UN experts all agree he should be released immediately. But this is not enough,” said Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC, who is leading the international legal team for Mr Lai and his son.

“The UK government, in particular, must now make clear to China the consequences of continuing to imprison this British national. President Trump is taking a strong stance; the prime minister must also do all he can to bring Mr Lai home to London.”

Last year, Sir Kir Starmer said he agreed that Mr Lai’s arrest was a breach of the treaty governing Hong Kong’s handover from British to Chinese rule, and that securing his release was a “priority” for the government.