US urges release of detained Chinese church leaders | JQJO

The United States urged China to free 30 leaders from one of the country’s largest underground church networks after overnight raids in several cities, including the arrest of Zion Church founder Jin Mingri, according to ChinaAid. Zion Church called the detentions “systematic persecution,” while U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other former officials condemned the crackdown. China’s foreign ministry said it wasn’t aware of the case and insisted it protects religious freedom, rejecting U.S. interference. ChinaAid described the sweep as the most extensive against Christians in decades, deepening tensions as doubts grow over a planned Trump–Xi summit.