Trump personally asked Xi for pastor's release; China's Zion Church minister freed, arrives in US
Translated from Chinese, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
At a glance
News
Named sources
Outcome reported
- U.S. President Donald Trump personally appealed to Chinese President Xi Jinping for the release of a pastor from Beijing's Zion Church.
- Pastor Jin Mingri was detained in October last year and accused of illegally using the internet.
- Jin Mingri has arrived in Los Angeles, with his family expressing hope this signals improved conditions for Chinese believers and a positive turn in U.S.-China relations.
Pastor Jin Mingri of Beijing's underground Zion Church has been released and has arrived in Los Angeles, according to a statement from the China Aid Association, a Christian NGO focused on human rights in China. Jin Mingri had been held in a detention center in Beihai City, Guangxi Province, since October last year.
President Trump personally appealed to Chinese President Xi Jinping for the release of pastor Jin Mingri.
He was among 18 core leaders of the underground church arrested in November and charged with "illegally using the internet." After months of detention, Jin Mingri was released and arrived in the U.S. on July 4th.
Jin Mingri's daughter, Grace Jin, revealed that U.S. President Donald Trump personally raised the case with Chinese President Xi Jinping during his visit to Beijing in May, which she believes facilitated this significant release. Despite her father's freedom, eight other Zion Church members remain detained in China.
Although my father has regained his freedom, eight other members of the Zion Church are still detained in China.
The Jin family stated that the release would not have been possible without Xi Jinping's direct intervention. They expressed hope that this event could signal an improvement in the situation for Chinese believers and a positive shift in U.S.-China relations.
We know that this would not have been possible without the direct intervention of Xi Jinping.
DistantNews Editorial
Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.
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