Trump says he will '100%' get ex-Hong Kong tycoon Jimmy Lai out of the country

US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has vowed to jail the former Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai Chee-ying leave the country if he is elected.

Lai, founder of the now defunct tabloid newspaper Apple Daily, is behind bars in the maximum security Stanley Prison awaiting the resumption of his high-profile national security trial. He is expected to take the witness stand next month to defend himself against foreign conspiracy and sedition charges.

In an interview with conservative podcast host Hugh Hewitt last Thursday, Trump was asked whether he would speak to Chinese President Xi Jinping about getting Lai out of the country if he won the Nov. 5 presidential election.

“One hundred percent, yes,” Trump said. ‘I’ll get him out. He will be able to get out easily. But we don’t have people even talking about it.”

The former US president also said he had done that before appealed to Xi after three American basketball players were arrested for shoplifting in the Chinese city of Hangzhou in 2017 during a college tour.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Atlanta on Monday. Photo: Associated Press

The three UCLA players were subsequently released and returned to the United States after charges were dropped. They said at a press conference admitted theftapologized for their actions and thanked the US government for their intervention.