Senators ask Trump to press Xi for church members’ release

A bipartisan group of 10 U.S. senators called on President Donald Trump to press visiting Chinese leader Xi Jinping to end the country’s persecution of religious minorities. On Thursday, Trump welcomed Xi to the White House for his first visit in more than a decade. The senators sent a letter to Trump on Tuesday urging him to vie for the release of eight church leaders from Zion Church.

Zion Church’s Pastor Ezra Jin was freed in July after spending nearly nine months in prison. Chinese authorities arrested him and other leaders from the church for not registering with China’s system for controlling religious groups. Jin’s release came several weeks after Trump discussed his case with Xi during a visit to China.

What else did the senators say? Led by Sens. Ted Budd, R-N.C., and Tim Kaine, D-Va., the letter said the United States should advocate for the release of prisoners who were imprisoned for exercising their right to freedom of religious belief. China’s constitution lays out freedom of religion for citizens, but for decades the government has repressed minority religious groups, according to reports from the U.S. government and Human Rights Watch.

Trump should also seek assurances that prisoners who have yet to be released have been treated humanely, the senators said. Along with asking for the release of Zion Church members, the senators asked Trump to keep in mind other persecuted religious groups in China, including Tibetan Buddhists, Uyghur Muslims, and Falun Gong practitioners.

Dig deeper: Read Elizabeth Black’s report on Pastor Jin’s arrival in the United States after being released from prison.