As Chinese President Xi Jinping prepares to visit the United States this week, pressure is mounting on President Donald Trump to confront Beijing on more than trade and technology.
Faith leaders, human rights advocates, lawmakers, and China hawks want Trump to press Xi on religious persecution, political prisoners, national security threats, and China’s growing global reach.
That message was recently echoed on the steps of the U.S. Capitol, where faith leaders, advocates, and families of victims gathered in prayer and called for the release of Christians imprisoned in China for practicing their faith.
“We pray for their release,” Rev. Patrick Mahoney said, citing Hebrews 13:3: “Remember those who are in prison as though you were in prison with them, and those who are suffering as though you were suffering with them.”
Mahoney said Trump should bring those concerns directly to Xi.
“We pray that President Trump will be courageous and not only talk about national security or AI, but also human rights and religious freedom,” said Mahoney of the Christian Defense Coalition.
Standing with the group was Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri, who was arrested by the Chinese Communist Party last year during a crackdown on underground Christian churches. He was released and returned to the United States on July 4 after Trump raised his case with Xi during their last summit in Beijing, according to supporters.
“I’m very grateful that during the last summit in Beijing, President Trump mentioned my case to President Xi, and now I’m free,” Jin said through a translator.
Now out of prison, Jin says he is speaking not only for Christians, but for all people of faith facing repression in China.
“I sincerely hope that during this visit, President Xi and President Trump can find some common ground, or even a breakthrough, on human rights and religious freedom in China,” he said.
The pressure is also coming from Capitol Hill.
Families, lawmakers, and human rights advocates are urging Trump to raise the case of Dr. Gulshan Abbas by name. Abbas, a 64-year-old retired Uyghur physician, has been imprisoned in China for eight years on charges the U.S. government and rights groups say were fabricated.
Her daughter, Ziba Murat, and her sister, Rushan Abbas, say this summit may be their best chance yet to bring her home. They point to Jin’s release as proof that direct pressure from the president can work.
House Select Committee on China Chairman John Moolenaar and Congressman Tom Suozzi on Tuesday led a bipartisan resolution marking the eighth anniversary of Abbas’s disappearance and urging the Trump administration to push for her immediate and unconditional release.
That follows House and Senate resolutions passed in May calling on the president to raise the cases of Abbas and other wrongly detained prisoners with Xi. House Speaker Mike Johnson has also said he expects political prisoners to be part of the talks. Earlier this year, he invited Murat as his guest to the State of the Union.
A congressional report released ahead of the summit says both chambers have passed resolutions urging the president to press for the release of additional prisoners such as Hong Kong publisher Jimmy Lai.
* Formerly Imprisoned Pastor Gravely Ill, Seeks Humanitarian Release from China to Join Family in US
But the pressure on Trump does not stop at human rights.
China analyst Gordon Chang says the president should also confront Beijing over what he calls expanding threats to U.S. interests and global stability.
In an interview, Chang pointed to China’s reported support for Iran through satellite capabilities and warned that Beijing’s ambitions go far beyond trade and artificial intelligence.
“The threat is everywhere,” Chang said, arguing that China has helped Iran with satellite targeting capabilities while continuing to expand its strategic reach.
He also warned about China’s moves near Taiwan, saying Beijing has tried to tighten its grip on contested waters through constant patrols and pressure tactics.
“We cannot allow the Chinese to annex the Pacific Ocean, and that’s their goal,” Chang said.
Xi’s visit comes as Washington and Beijing try to steady a relationship strained by trade, technology, Taiwan, and national security. Trade and AI are expected to dominate the summit.
But for advocates on Capitol Hill, the message is simple: economic deals should not drown out the voices of those still in prison for their faith.
