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ChinaAid on Sunday welcomed the release of Zion Church Pastor Jin Mingri, who had been held in detention centers in the southern Chinese city of Beihai since last October and arrived in Los Angeles on Saturday.
Chinese authorities arrested 18 leaders of the underground Zion Church last November, including Jin, and charged them with “illegally using information networks.”
Jin’s daughter, Grace Jin, told Reuters on Sunday that eight members of Zion Church remain in detention in China.
“We rejoice with Pastor Ezra Jin, his family, and the global Body of Christ on this remarkable Independence Day miracle,” said Rev. Dr. Bob Fu, Founder and President of ChinaAid.
“We thank Almighty God for hearing the prayers of His people. We are deeply grateful to President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and all U.S. officials who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to secure Pastor Jin’s freedom. Their unwavering commitment demonstrates that principled leadership and persistent diplomacy can make a life-saving difference,” he added.
According to Grace Jin, President Donald Trump raised her father’s case with Chinese President Xi Jinping during his visit to Beijing in May.
“We know that this could not have happened without the direct intervention from Chairman Xi Jinping. We hope this is a signal of a positive turn for people of faith in China and relations between our two nations,” the family said in a separate statement shared with Reuters.
Fu celebrated the pastor’s release but also warned about many other prisoners of faith in China.
“While we celebrate Pastor Jin’s freedom, our hearts remain with the countless pastors including 8 other jailed pastors and coworkers from Zion Church, priests, bishops, house church Christians, Uyghur Muslims, Tibetan Buddhists, Falun Gong practitioners, and other prisoners of conscience who remain unjustly imprisoned by the Chinese Communist Party,” he wrote.
“We respectfully call on President Trump and his Administration to continue making religious freedom and the release of all prisoners of faith a top priority in every engagement with Beijing. True progress in U.S.-China relations must include freedom for those imprisoned simply because they choose to believe,” Fu added.
