Christian NGO welcomes release of pastor held in southern China

BEIJING - ChinaAid, a Christian NGO, said on Sunday it welcomed the release of Zion Church Pastor Jin Mingri, who had been held in detention centres in the southern Chinese city of Beihai since last October and arrived in Los Angeles on Saturday.

Eighteen leaders of the major underground church, including Jin, were arrested last November and charged with the crime of "illegally using information networks."

Jin's daughter Grace told Reuters on Sunday that eight members of the Zion Church are still detained in China.

"ChinaAid welcomes with profound gratitude the release of imprisoned Chinese house church pastor Ezra Jin, who arrived safely in Los Angeles on July 4, 2026," the NGO said in a statement that used Jin's English first name.

China's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent outside work hours.

U.S. President Donald Trump had asked Chinese President Xi Jinping for Jin's release during his May trip to Beijing, Grace Jin said.

"We know that this could not have happened without the direct intervention from Chairman Xi Jinping. We hope this is a signal of a positive turn for people of faith in China and relations between our two nations," said a separate family statement shared with Reuters.

(Reporting by Laurie Chen; Writing by Joe Cash; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan and Jamie Freed)

Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect.

This story was originally published July 4, 2026 at 10:16 PM.