Even though a pastor — who is a permanent United States resident — was released from a Chinese prison more than a year ago, the Chinese government refuses to let him return to the U.S.
John Cao, a pastor from Changsha in China’s Hunan province, was released from a Chinese prison 19 months ago after serving seven years for allegedly “organizing illegal border crossings,” reports the rights advocacy group ChinaAid.
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His Chinese passport expired while he was imprisoned, and China’s government has rejected his renewal application more than once.
For many years, Cao has not been able to see his wife and family, who live in the U.S.
At the time he was imprisoned, Cao was serving in poor areas along the country’s border with Myanmar.
“There, he established schools, providing textbooks, pencils and Bibles to local children, benefiting over 2,000 students,” states ChinaAid.
Chinese border police arrested him in March 2017 in Yunnan, China, as he returned from Myanmar, according to ChinaAid.
World Watch
China is No. 15 on Open Doors’ 2025 World Watch List of the 50 places most difficult to be a Christian.
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