Aboard Air Force One, Nov 14 (AFP) US President DonaldTrump said today that he personally asked Chinese leader XiJinping to intervene on behalf of three US college basketballplayers arrested in China for alleged shoplifting andexpressed hope they would soon be sent home.
Trump told reporters that he brought up the case in talkswith Xi during his two-day state visit to Beijing last week.
"He was terrific, and they're working on it right now.
And hopefully everything is going to work out," Trump toldreporters in the Philippines aboard Air Force One at theconclusion of his five-nation tour of Asia.
"But that was not a good subject. That was not somethingthat should have happened," Trump added, calling it a "very,very rough situation with what happened to them," providing nodetails.
UCLA players LiAngelo Ball -- the younger brother of LosAngeles Lakers rookie star Lonzo Ball -- and teammates CodyRiley and Jalen Hill were arrested last Tuesday in Hangzhouahead of their regular-season-opening game against GeorgiaTech in nearby Shanghai this past weekend.
ESPN reported that they were nabbed on suspicion ofstealing from a Louis Vuitton store and later freed on bailbut ordered to remain in Hangzhou.
The US sports network, which had a reporter travellingwith the teams, quoted sources saying authorities hadsurveillance footage of the alleged crimes.
"What they did was unfortunate. You know, you're talkingabout very long prison sentences. They (Chinese authorities)do not play games," Trump said.
Shoplifting can bring jail time in China depending on thevalue of the goods.
But the likelihood of China throwing the book at the triowas probably low with the leaders of the world's two biggesteconomies keen to make nice for the state visit.
Asked whether the players would soon be coming home,Trump said: "I hope so. I hope so."The UCLA and Georgia Tech squads were in Hangzhou for aside trip to the headquarters of Chinese e-commerce giantAlibaba.
UCLA won Saturday's game in Shanghai 63-60 without thethree players. The rest of the team flew home afterwards.
The Washington Post, quoting unnamed US officials, hadreported earlier on Tuesday that Trump learned about thedetails of the case from aides, including his chief of staffJohn Kelly.
Xi promised to look into the case and ensure the playersare treated fairly and expeditiously, the paper quoted anofficial saying.
Kelly remains in touch with the player's families andwith Chinese authorities, adding that charges against theplayers had been reduced and the case was proceeding toward aresolution, the Post reported.
The US and Chinese governments have declined to releaseany information on the players' whereabouts and status,probably due to the diplomatic sensitivities.(AFP)AMS.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.