Beijing releases Zion Church’s Pastor Ezra Jin as a gesture to Trump
His release on 4 July follows talks between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, during which Jimmy Lai was also mentioned, although the latter’s situation remains unchanged. Meanwhile, the crackdown on house churches continues in China: eight other pastors remain in prison.
Beijing (AsiaNews) – After more than eight months in detention, Pastor Jin Mingri, founder of the Zion Church in Beijing was released by Chinese authorities, which enabled the Protestant clergyman to travel to the United States to be reunited with his family.
His release comes less than two months after Donald Trump and Xi Jinping met in Beijing, when the US leader personally raised Jin’s case along with that of Hong Kong businessman Jimmy Lai.
Jin Mingri, 57, also known as Ezra Jin, was arrested last October on charges of “illegally using information networks” as part of an escalating crackdown on house churches, i.e. Christian communities that refuse to join religious bodies controlled by the Communist Party of China.
After the Zion Church was shut down in 2018, the pastor continued to preach online, reaching thousands of followers across China.
According to his daughter, Grace Jin Drexel, who lives in the United States, and ChinaAid, a Christian organisation, Beijing granted his release as a result of talks between Trump and Xi Jinping.
Upon release, the pastor was put on a flight for Los Angeles, where he arrived on 4 July, the 250th anniversary of the American Declaration of Independence.
In a statement released by the family, Grace Jin Drexel thanked “President Trump and his administration for their tremendous leadership," adding that this could not have happened "without the direct intervention from Chairman Xi Jinping." Now “We hope this is a signal of a positive turn for people of faith in China and relations between our two nations.”
ChinaAid described the release as an important diplomatic achievement, noting, however, that other Zion Church clergymen are still detained in China along with numerous other prisoners.
“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,” reads a statement issued by the organisation.
During the May summit, Trump also discussed with Xi the case of businessman Jimmy Lai, the founder of the Apple Daily newspaper and one of the most prominent figures in Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement.
Speaking about the meeting with reporters, the US president said that Xi had promised to "strongly consider" the pastor's position, while saying that the Lai case was a “tough one”.
Since then, the businessman's situation has not changed. Last February, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison on charges of "collusion with foreign forces," in one of the most high-profile trials since Beijing imposed its national security law on Hong Kong in 2020.
The case reflects the different political weight given by Chinese authorities to the two cases. Although the Zion Church is one of Beijing's best-known independent Christian communities, its founder has been prosecuted for his religious activity.
Jimmy Lai, on the other hand, is considered by Beijing to be one of the symbols of Hong Kong's pro-democracy protests and a challenge to central power.
The pastor's release also marks a new phase in relations between China and the United States. After months of trade and diplomatic tensions, the two powers appear to have set their relationship on a more even keel.
Still, the incident should not be interpreted as a reversal of the trend regarding religious freedom in China. In fact, Chinese authorities continue to exercise strict control over unregistered communities of believers.
As Ezra Jin's family noted, among those still in prison is Pastor Wang Lin. His lawyer has reported that he lost more than 13 kilos during his detention and is now also charged with fraud for collecting donations from his followers.
.png)
13/10/2025 19:19
