A Chinese pastor and missionary, racing against a stage four cancer diagnosis, is desperately seeking to be reunited with his wife and children in the U.S.
In 2017, Christian Pastor John Cao was detained by Chinese authorities and a year later sentenced to seven years in prison for “organizing illegal border crossings” while carrying out missions along the China-Myanmar border.
During his incarceration, Cao was diagnosed with stage four prostate cancer. Now, since his release from prison on March 5, 2024, the 67-year-old pastor has worked toward returning to his family in the U.S., with much urgency. However, prolonged passport processing has delayed his return.
Hoping to expedite the passport process, U.S. advocacy groups are gathering 100,000 signatures before September 24, 2026, petitioning President Trump to discuss Pastor Cao’s life-threatening condition with President Xi Jinping in their upcoming White House meeting.
Bob Fu, the founder and president of Texas-based nonprofit ChinaAid, is one of many humanitarian leaders advocating for Pastor Cao’s speedy reunification with his family.
“This is no longer simply a religious freedom or human rights case — it is an urgent humanitarian appeal,” said Bob Fu in a campaign for Cao. “Pastor Cao has already served every day of his seven-year sentence. With advanced cancer threatening his life, we respectfully urge President Trump to personally ask President Xi to return Pastor Cao’s passport and let him come home to his family.”
This would not be the first time for President Trump to make a humanitarian appeal to President Xi.
Just last month – July 4, 2026 – another Chinese pastor, Ezra Jin, was released from prison and reunited with his family in the U.S. after President Trump spoke with President Xi in Beijing during the China Summit.
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The American Center for Law and Justice is also advocating for Pastor Cao. ACLJ Senior Counsel and International Legal Director CeCe Heil makes it clear that President Xi’s yes to Cao’s passage to the U.S. would be seen as an act of goodwill and humanitarian consideration for a unique circumstance.
“Issuing Pastor Cao’s passport would not be a political concession. It would be a humanitarian act consistent with China’s laws and with President Xi’s recent gesture of goodwill. Therefore, we respectfully ask the Chinese authorities to issue Pastor Cao’s passport immediately, in accordance with Article 14, and in recognition of the humanitarian situation,” Heil wrote.
And while Heil recognizes the appeal of goodwill reinforcement, for her President Xi’s yes is far more than that – it would demonstrate that “humanitarian considerations still matter in international relations” and show that “mercy is possible even in difficult diplomatic climates.”
In her advocacy, Heil concludes by calling on “U.S. officials, human rights organizations, and faith communities” to stand united for Cao’s “immediate humanitarian release,” stating, “This is a moment for governments, advocates, and communities to speak with one voice.”
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