{"id":2596725,"date":"2026-04-29T14:14:02","date_gmt":"2026-04-29T18:14:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/letter-urges-trump-to-demand-that-xi-release-religious-prisoners\/"},"modified":"2026-04-29T14:15:51","modified_gmt":"2026-04-29T18:15:51","slug":"letter-urges-trump-to-demand-that-xi-release-religious-prisoners","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/letter-urges-trump-to-demand-that-xi-release-religious-prisoners\/","title":{"rendered":"Letter urges Trump to demand that Xi release religious prisoners"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fletter-urges-trump-to-demand-that-xi-release-religious-prisoners%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2596725&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" ><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/former-cia-director-critics-slam-biden-over-move-to-pursue-iran-on-nuclear-deal-absolutely-chokes\/\" title=\"Former CIA Director, Critics Slam Biden Over Move To Pursue Iran On Nuclear Deal: \u2018Absolutely Chokes\u2019\">national security experts<\/a> affiliated<\/a> with the Vandenberg coalition have sent a letter urging President Donald Trump to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-nominee-mark-walker-intends-to-fight-religious-persecution\/\" title=\"Trump nominee Mark Walker intends to fight ...\">address religious persecution<\/a> in China directly during his upcoming Beijing summit with Xi Jinping. The letter says China\u2019s Communist Party commits widespread persecution against people of all faiths and calls on the U.S. to signal consequences through targeted sanctions and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-state-dept-nominee-demanded-prosecution-of-bush-and-cheney-for-war-crimes\/\" title=\"Biden State Dept. Nominee Demanded Prosecution of Bush and Cheney for War Crimes\">visa bans<\/a> against specific Chinese officials.<\/p>\n<p>The group specifically asks Trump to demand the release and possible departure from China of Pastor \u201cEzra\u201d Jin Mingri, a Protestant leader detained after a crackdown on his Beijing Zion church. They note that Trump\u2019s administration previously labeled atrocities against Uyghurs in Xinjiang as genocide and praise that stance, while urging him to go further on religious freedom.<\/p>\n<p>The experts also mention broader pressure points for Trump to raise with Xi, including pressing for the release of Hong Kong pro-democracy Catholic activist Jimmy Lai, who is serving a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/she-claimed-he-raped-her-after-he-ended-their-relationship-she-was-just-sentenced-to-32-months-in-jail-for-her-false-accusation\/\" title=\"She Claimed He Raped Her After He Ended Their Relationship. She Was Just Sentenced To 32 Months In Jail For Her False Accusation.\">lengthy prison sentence<\/a>. Trump is expected to meet Xi on May 14-15.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p>Dozens of national security experts have submitted a letter to President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\">Donald Trump<\/a> urging him to directly address religious persecution in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/china\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"232\">China<\/a> during his upcoming summit in Beijing.<\/p>\n<p>The <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/vandenbergcoalition.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/The-Vandenberg-Coalition-Letter-on-Pastor-Ezra-Jin-final.pdf\">letter<\/a>, drafted by the Vandenberg Coalition and submitted to Trump and Secretary of State <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/marco-rubio\/\">Marco Rubio<\/a> on Wednesday, encouraged Trump to confront the \u201csignificant amount of religious persecution in China perpetrated by the Chinese Communist Party\u201d under the leadership of paramount leader <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/xi-jinping\/\">Xi Jinping<\/a> during next month\u2019s meeting.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4547131\/east-asia-us-china-influence\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Where does East Asia stand in the US-China battle for influence?<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4546294\/starmer-escapes-inquiry-mandelson-vetting\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Starmer escapes inquiry on Mandelson vetting by a Parliament vote<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4545720\/ukraine-eu-object-russia-fleet-vessel-carries-grains-docked-israel-port\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Ukraine and EU cry foul over Russian shadow fleet vessel carrying grains docked at Israeli port<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p>\u201cMake clear that the United States expects China to end its religious persecution against people of all faiths, and that the United States is prepared to issue sanctions and visa bans targeting specific Chinese officials responsible for religious persecution,\u201d the group urged in the letter.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">In this Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2016 photo, Chinese women walk past a decoration displaying a Baby Jesus doll part of a Nativity scene at the Nantang Catholic Church in Beijing. One of China\u2019s top leaders told Chinese Catholics that they need to operate \u201cindependently\u201d of outside forces and promote socialism and patriotism through religion. (AP Photo\/Andy Wong)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Among the signers of the letter are members of Trump\u2019s first administration, including former Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert Wilkie and former deputy national security adviser Matt Pottinger.<\/p>\n<p>The <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/china\">People\u2019s Republic of China<\/a> is an atheistic state with virtually zero real protections for the practice of organized <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/religion\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"283\">religion<\/a>. Churches and other faith congregations that wish to hold regular services are required to register with the government and to accept ideological imperatives handed down from Beijing.<\/p>\n<p>Those who practice an unapproved religion or refuse to comply with the CCP\u2019s directives on acceptable tenets of belief risk arrest and imprisonment. The CCP has even <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/3344144\/dalai-lama-reincarnation-outside-china-ccp-illegal\/\">passed legal directives<\/a> stating the rebirth of \u201cliving Buddhas\u201d must \u201ccomply with Chinese laws and regulations.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Trump\u2019s administration declared in early 2021 that the Chinese government was committing a genocide against Muslim Uyghurs in the Xinjiang province, with crimes against humanity including torture, imprisonment, forced labor, and forced sterilization.<\/p>\n<p>The national security experts praised Trump in their letter for having \u201ccourageously issued [that] determination\u201d during his first term \u2014 but they pushed the president to go further.<\/p>\n<p>Specifically, the group is asking Trump to demand that persecuted pastor \u201cEzra\u201d Jin Mingri be \u201creleased from prison and allowed to leave China.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jin is a Protestant preacher who founded Beijing Zion Church in 2007. The burgeoning Christian community operated with relative independence for years and amassed hundreds of parishioners with little interference from authorities.<\/p>\n<p>But the CCP cracked down on Zion Church last year, and Jin \u2014 along with dozens of other faith leaders \u2014 was detained at home and now faces charges of \u201cillegal dissemination of religious content via the internet.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">In this photo taken Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2018, Pastor \u201cEzra\u201d Jin Mingri speaks during an interview at the Zion Church in Beijing, China. After Jin refused local authorities\u2019 request to install surveillance cameras inside his house church, police individually questioned hundreds of members of the 1,500-person congregation, he said. (AP Photo\/Ng Han Guan)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Jin has a daughter, Grace Jin Drexel, who is currently living in the United States and is expecting a child later this year.<\/p>\n<p>The national security experts told Trump that \u201csecuring Pastor Jin\u2019s release in time for the birth of his grandchild would be an impressive win that aligns with your administration\u2019s laudable emphasis on protecting Christians from persecution.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Trump is slated to meet with Xi on May 14-15. The visit was originally scheduled for late March but was postponed due to the conflict in Iran.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4540436\/china-interference-taiwan-state-visit-eswatini-influence-africa\/\">CHINA\u2019S INTERFERENCE IN TAIWAN STATE VISIT TO ESWATINI SHOWS STAGGERING INFLUENCE OVER AFRICAN NATIONS<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Human rights advocates have also requested that Trump press Xi for the release of Hong Kong democracy activist Jimmy Lai, a 78-year-old Catholic newspaper publisher who has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for opposing the CCP\u2019s governance of the region.<\/p>\n<p>The president said late last year that he had \u201cput that request out\u201d in conversations with Xi but will have to \u201csee what happens.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dozens urge Trump to address China\u2019s religious persecution at Beijing summit<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3468,"featured_media":2596726,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/AP16365196846378.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[78822,32274,78823,3634,35581],"class_list":["post-2596725","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-china-human-rights","tag-religious-freedom","tag-religious-prisoners","tag-trump","tag-xi-jinping"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/AP16365196846378.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2596725","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3468"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2596725"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2596725\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2596729,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2596725\/revisions\/2596729"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2596726"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2596725"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2596725"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2596725"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}