Trump Urged to Address Plight of Persecuted Chinese Minorities During Beijing Visit
Trump met with China’s President Xi in Beijing, and human rights advocates urged Trump to raise concerns about religious and ethnic minorities persecuted by the Chinese communist goverment-especially christians, Uyghur Muslims, Tibetan Buddhists, and other groups. U.S. officials from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom said Trump has an prospect to discuss religious freedom and cited cases such as the imprisonment of evangelical pastor Ezra Jin,the life sentence of Uyghur scholar Ilham Tohti,and increasing pressure on Roman Catholic churches to align with the state-sanctioned church.
Separately, the White House readout said the two leaders also discussed ways to expand economic cooperation and market access for American businesses, increase Chinese investment, and work on regional issues such as ensuring Iran does not obtain nuclear weapons and opening the Strait of Hormuz.
As President Donald Trump meets with senior Chinese officials in Beijing, various human rights advocates are calling on him to mention the plight of Christians, Uyghur Muslims, Tibetan Buddhists, and other religious minorities targeted by the communist government.
Representative Vicky Hartzler, chair of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, said that Trump has a “unique opportunity” to speak about such matters with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
“The U.S. government has long demonstrated its commitment to advancing religious freedom in China, including the determination of the Chinese Communist Party’s genocide of Uyghurs,” she noted, per a report from NewsNation.
United States Commission on International Religious Freedom vice chair Asif Mahmood contended that “religious freedom has worsened to a horrific degree” under Xi’s leadership.
Among other prominent cases of religious persecution in China is the imprisonment of Ezra Jin, an evangelical pastor and a major voice in the nation’s house church movement.
Various human rights advocates, as well as several elected officials, urged Trump to discuss Jin’s imprisonment with Xi.
In another case, Uyghur scholar Ilham Tohti, who was arrested in 2014, has been imprisoned for life after writing about Uyghur rights.
Human Rights Watch meanwhile added that Chinese officials are increasingly pressuring Roman Catholic churches to join the official state-sanctioned church.
Yalkun Uluyol, a China researcher at Human Rights Watch, said that “a decade into Xi Jinping’s Sinicization campaign and nearly eight years since the 2018 Holy See-China agreement, Catholics in China face escalating repression that violates their religious freedoms.”
Uluyol called on Pope Leo XIV to address increased pressure toward Roman Catholic churches, including underground churches, with Xi.
An initial statement released on Thursday by the White House said that Trump had a “good meeting” with the Chinese leader.
From the Bilateral Meeting in Beijing:
President Trump had a good meeting with President Xi of China. pic.twitter.com/WaH8hR1ZV3
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 14, 2026
“The two sides discussed ways to enhance economic cooperation between our two countries, including expanding market access for American businesses into China and increasing Chinese investment into our industries,” the readout added.
The statement affirmed both countries’ desire to open the Strait of Hormuz and to ensure Iran does not obtain nuclear weapons.
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