Days before winning his second presidential term, Donald Trump made a bold promise: if he returned to the White House, he would free a pugnacious, self-made billionaire from a Hong Kong prison.

Hailed by some as a hero and scorned by others as a traitor, Hong Kong's pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai is in the final stage of his national security trial. Closing arguments were scheduled to start on Thursday for Lai, who is accused of colluding with foreign forces under a Beijing-imposed national security law.

A court hearing for jailed Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai was postponed on Thursday due to bad weather, further lengthening a national security trial that began in 2023.The judiciary said Thursday that those due to attend postponed hearings should return on Friday.