Chinese Pastor Jin Mingri Freed After Reported Trump Plea to Xi
Prominent Chinese underground church leader Jin Mingri, founder of Beijing's Zion Church, has been released from prison, reportedly following a direct appeal from former US President Donald Trump to Chinese President Xi Jinping. His release marks a rare instance of a high-profile religious prisoner's freedom amid China's ongoing crackdown on unregistered places of worship.
Beijing's most prominent house church founder, Pastor Jin Mingri, has been freed from prison in China, ending a six-year detention that drew international condemnation. The release of the charismatic leader of the former Zion Church comes after what sources indicate was a direct, personal plea from then-US President Donald Trump to Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Pastor Jin was arrested in 2018 and subsequently sentenced to six years on charges of "illegal business practices," a common official accusation leveled against unregistered religious groups in China. The charges were widely seen by human rights advocates as a pretext to suppress his influential Zion Church, which at its peak boasted thousands of congregants, making it one of the largest independent Protestant congregations in the country.
The Trump-Xi Connection
The revelation that former President Trump intervened on Jin Mingri's behalf adds a unique diplomatic dimension to the pastor's release. Robert O'Brien, Trump's former National Security Adviser, confirmed that Trump directly raised Jin's case with Xi, framing the pastor as a religious figure, not a political dissident, and suggesting his release would be a significant humanitarian gesture. Such a direct intercession, particularly one that seemingly yielded results, is highly unusual in the context of China's often opaque and unyielding legal system, especially concerning religious matters.
China's response to such a high-level request suggests a calculated decision by Beijing. While not an admission of wrongful imprisonment, the move could have been intended to curry favor or signal a willingness for limited diplomatic flexibility during a period of complex US-China relations. It remains to be seen if this incident sets any precedent or is merely an isolated gesture tied to specific diplomatic calculations at the time.
Crackdown on Unregistered Churches Continues
Jin Mingri's imprisonment and the forceful closure of Zion Church in 2018 were emblematic of a broader, intensified campaign by Chinese authorities against unregistered religious groups, both Christian and Muslim. Churches like Zion, which operated outside the state-sanctioned Three-Self Patriotic Movement, often faced harassment, surveillance, and eventual shutdown. The government's stated aim is to "Sinicize" religion, ensuring that all religious practice aligns with the Chinese Communist Party's doctrines and national interests.
Since 2018, numerous other high-profile figures from unregistered churches have been detained or imprisoned, and congregations have been dispersed. Surveillance has increased, and even smaller house churches have faced immense pressure. The release of Pastor Jin, while a victory for his family and supporters, does not necessarily signal a softening of Beijing's overall stance on religious freedom.
What Comes Next?
Pastor Jin's return home marks the end of a long ordeal, but the future for other religious prisoners and the broader independent church movement in China remains uncertain. His freedom provides a glimmer of hope for advocates, but the underlying policies driving the suppression of unregistered religious activity show no signs of abating. The international community will be watching to see if this diplomatic breakthrough, however rare, might pave the way for other humanitarian releases, or if it will simply remain an exceptional footnote in China's ongoing efforts to control religious expression within its borders.
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