North Carolina Senator Ted Budd is joining a bipartisan group of lawmakers in calling on President Trump to take a firm stand on religious freedom during his upcoming meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
In a letter sent this week, Senator Budd and Virginia Senator Tim Kaine—along with nearly 30 colleagues—urged the President to advocate for the release of Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri. The lead pastor of Zion Church is one of many Christian leaders currently imprisoned as part of what lawmakers call a "violent crackdown" on unsanctioned churches in China.
The group is also pushing the administration to use the International Religious Freedom Act to impose targeted sanctions and visa restrictions against Chinese officials. The letter highlights a pattern of human rights abuses, including the destruction of religious property and the arbitrary detention of Christians, Tibetans, and Uyghurs.
Lawmakers say the upcoming summit is a critical opportunity to demand that Pastor Jin be allowed to leave the country and to address the ongoing persecution of religious minorities.
