Advocates push Trump to raise human rights issues in Xi meeting

Advocates are urging President Donald Trump to address human rights during his upcoming meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The requested topics include religious freedom and the imprisonment of Jimmy Lai.

The summit in Washington, D.C., marks Xi's first visit to the city since 2015 and is expected to include a state dinner. While the meeting is expected to cover artificial intelligence, the war in Iran, and a potential U.S. arms deal with Taiwan, advocates want human rights to remain a priority. Mary Ellen O'Connell, a professor at Notre Dame Law School specializing in international law and conflict resolution, noted that diplomats would likely press Xi on the oppression of Roman Catholics and other people of faith.

The state dinner is expected to feature several technology leaders, including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, and Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon. Other anticipated points of friction between the two nations include Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the global competition regarding artificial intelligence.