Caption
President Donald Trump pose with NATO heads of state and government at the Hague on June 25, 2025. (Getty Images)
16
March 2026
Past Event
Prioritizing Political Prisoner Advocacy Across China
Prioritizing Political Prisoner Advocacy Across China
Past Event
Invite Only
March 16, 2026
Share:
Caption
Police keep watch as an armored prison van carries Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai to the West Kowloon court in Hong Kong, China, on December 19, 2023. (Getty Images)
16
March 2026
Past Event
Speakers:
Moderators:
As President Donald Trump and Xi Jinping prepare to meet in April, striking a favorable trade deal is top of mind. But trade shouldn’t be the only priority. China currently imprisons several political prisoners who are important to the United States government—including Chinese Christian Pastor Ezra Jin, Uyghur doctor Gulshan Abbas, Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai, and many others. Several of these prisoners have family members who are American citizens and want to be reunited. Ahead of the Trump-Xi meeting, Washington needs to call for the unequivocal release and safe return of political prisoners.
Join us at Hudson Institute to discuss how advocates, lawmakers, and the US government can prioritize the release of political prisoners across China.
To request an RSVP, please reach out to Talia Magnuson at tmagnuson@hudson.org.
9:30 a.m. | Breakfast and Registration
10:00 a.m. | Panel I: Political Prisoners Past and Present
Moderator: Olivia Enos, Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute
· Ziba Murat, Daughter of detained Uyghur doctor Gulshan Abbas
· Grace Jin Drexel, Daughter of detained Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri
· Gao Pu, Son of detained Pastor Gao Quanfu and his wife, Pang Yu
· Michael Kovrig, Canadian former diplomat detained in China
11:30 a.m. | Panel II: Strengthening Tools for Securing Political Prisoner Release
Moderator: Michael Sobolik, Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute
· Olivia Enos, Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute
· Corey Jackson, Founder and President, Luke Alliance
· Pedro Pizano, Director, John McCain Center for Political Prisoners Initiative
Listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Related Events
03
June 2026
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Authoritarian Persistence in Latin America: What Should the US Do?
Featured Speakers:
Elliott Abrams
Daniel Batlle
03
June 2026
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Authoritarian Persistence in Latin America: What Should the US Do?
Please join Adjunct Fellow Daniel Batlle for a conversation with Elliott Abrams, whose leadership on Latin America policy stretches from his service as assistant secretary of state for inter-American affairs under President Ronald Reagan to his role as special representative for Venezuela in the first Trump administration.
Featured Speakers:
Elliott Abrams
Daniel Batlle
04
June 2026
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Spain’s Latin American Reckoning
Featured Speakers:
Julio Crespo MacLennan
Daniel Batlle
04
June 2026
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Spain’s Latin American Reckoning
Join Hudson as Adjunct Fellow Daniel Batlle sits down with Julio Crespo MacLennan, a historian and one of the leading scholars on Spain’s democratic transition and on Europe’s relationship with the wider world.
Featured Speakers:
Julio Crespo MacLennan
Daniel Batlle
11
June 2026
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Growing the DIB: A Conversation with Deputy Assistant Secretary of War James Mismash
Featured Speakers:
Nadia Schadlow
James Mismash
11
June 2026
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Growing the DIB: A Conversation with Deputy Assistant Secretary of War James Mismash
Please join Hudson Institute for a fireside chat between Hudson Senior Fellow Nadia Schadlow and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Industrial Base Growth and Director of the Office of Small Business Programs James Mismash.
Featured Speakers:
Nadia Schadlow
James Mismash
12
June 2026
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Winning the Innovation Competition
Featured Speakers:
Bryan Clark
Dan Patt
Emil Michael
12
June 2026
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Winning the Innovation Competition
Please join Hudson Institute Senior Fellows Bryan Clark and Dan Patt for a conversation with Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering Emil Michael about the Department of War’s efforts to bring AI to the battlefield and implement an innovation strategy that makes the most of America’s commercial and government research sectors.
Featured Speakers:
Bryan Clark
Dan Patt
Emil Michael
Related Research
Caption
People gather in front of the Chinese consulate general to protest the unjust conviction of media entrepreneur Jimmy Lai on February 14, 2026, in Los Angeles, California. (Getty Images)
Caption
A pro-democracy activist hangs a yellow banner with the message “Free All Political Prisoners” during a protest in Hong Kong, 0n December 11, 2021. (Getty Images)
Caption
Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping hold talks at the Gimhae Air Base in Busan, South Korea, on October 30, 2025. (Getty Images)
