When President Donald Trump meets Chinese President Xi later this week in Beijing, he has an opportunity to do what many American presidents have done before him: advocate for the freedom of political prisoners in China. Chinese-American relations are intense and complex, complicated by conflict in the Middle East, economic competition, and Taiwan, raising questions as to whether President Trump will prioritize the release of wrongfully detained individuals in his bilateral negotiations.
As part of its effort to silence dissent or muffle anyone who shows independence from the state, the Chinese Communist Party has harassed and imprisoned Christian pastors, journalists, Muslim Uyghurs, democracy activists, independent businesspeople, and a whole host of others who have exercised their basic rights. Such innocent people have been jailed for actions which Americans do freely – worshipping, posting opinions online, writing news articles, opening businesses, refusing to pay corrupt officials, and assembling freely.
President Trump has promised to raise the case of Jimmy Lai, a Hong Kong businessman and democracy advocate. He reportedly also committed to press Xi for the release of Christian Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri. He should raise these cases and several other prominent cases that exemplify the groups facing CCP repression.
Successive American presidents have raised cases of political prisoners with their Chinese counterparts, along with their conversations on security, economic, and political issues. President George W. Bush actively raised the cases of many political prisoners and contributed to securing their release, including Tibetan nun Ngawang Sangdrol, Uyghur businesswoman Rebiya Kadeer, Christian businessman Li Guangqiang, and U.S. permanent resident and democracy activist Jianli Yang.
The Chinese Communist Party’s repressive abuse of its critics and citizens is not an internal matter. These actions, which extend to the targeting of activists throughout the world including on U.S. soil, are part of a larger challenge that China poses to democratic nations and the norms that underpin the global order.
American competition with China cannot be limited to security and economic rivalry; it is also an ideological battle over whether we will live in a global system in which successful businessmen and pastors will be persecuted for doing their job or one in which people are able to live freely and under the rule of law.
While the humanitarian case for releasing prisoners is strong, this is unquestionably an important strategic issue for the United States as well. It is essential to show that the Chinese Communist Party’s continued repression and undermining of global rules of the road will not go unanswered.
Jimmy Lai was sentenced in February to 20 years in prison for “sedition and collusion with foreign forces,” charges which the United States has called an “unjust and tragic conclusion to this case.” Over 100 members of the U.S. Congress – of both parties – have urged President Trump to raise his case. China has suppressed political and economic freedoms in Hong Kong, and Lai’s case is symbolic of the reach of Chinese power over the territory.
Ezra Jin Mingri, the pastor of Zion Church in China, was arrested in October with almost 30 other pastors and congregants. Zion Church is an unregistered house church, a common status among congregations that don’t want to submit to Chinese government limitations on their freedom to worship. The church was closed in 2018 for refusing to allow Chinese government surveillance equipment.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, members of both Houses of Congress from both parties, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, Christians around the world, and others have advocated for his release. His case is also symbolic of the broader struggle for religious freedom in China.
Three other cases are also important for President Trump to discuss with Xi.
Dr. Gulshan Abbas, a retired medical doctor and sister of well-respected Uyghur democracy activist Rushan Abbas, was disappeared in 2018 and then sentenced in 2019 on unfounded charges of “participating in a terrorist organization.” Abbas has had virtually no contact with her family. It is widely believed that she is being held as a punishment for her sister’s effective advocacy for an end to the widespread repression of the Uyghur population in China. Her case recognizes the extent of this abuse.
Pastor Wang Yi, the founder of the Early Rain Covenant Church, an independent church in China, was imprisoned in 2018 and sentenced in 2019 for false charges of “inciting subversion of state power.” He was arrested along with a hundred members of his congregation. Like Jin’s, this case represents the Chinese Communist Party’s desire to punish and silence those people of faith who are unwilling to subordinate their faith to the state’s tight oversight.
Ekpar Asat, a Uyghur tech entrepreneur and philanthropist, was jailed in 2016 on unsubstantiated charges of “inciting ethnic hatred” following a trip to the United States to participate in a U.S. Department of State exchange program, the International Visitors Leadership Program (IVLP). A founder of an app for Uyghurs in China, Asat had no problems with the Chinese Communist Party until three weeks after returning from the United States. Like Abbas, his case is emblematic of the repression the Uyghur community is facing.
The House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between U.S. and the Chinese Communist Party has urged President Trump and Rubio to seek the release of these five prisoners of conscience and many others. Raising them would be a powerful statement of American values.
This is a historic opportunity for President Trump to ensure that freedom is on the agenda along with the very pressing security and economic issues which the two leaders will discuss.
