BEIJING — A Chinese American pastor and two other Americans imprisoned in China recently were granted a meeting with the U.S. ambassador to China.
The human rights group ChinaAid says the meeting was the first that China has allowed with a U.S. official in more than five years.
Nicholas Burns, U.S. ambassador to China, visited David Lin, the pastor who has been incarcerated since 2006.
Quoting Reuters, ChinaAid states Burns also visited Kai Li, a Chinese American serving 10 years on charges of espionage, and Mark Swidan, a Texas business owner convicted in 2019.
In the 1990s, Lin began to make frequent visits to China. In 1999, he embarked on a preaching tour in China’s mainland.
In 2006, Lin helped a house church construct a building. After this, he was detained and not allowed to leave China. In 2009, he was arrested for “contract fraud” and was originally given a life term. Lin’s sentence now ends in 2030.
According to ChinaAid, Lin has used the time in prison as a ministry and has, in fact, formed a prayer meeting group in the facility.
China is No. 16 on Open Doors’ 2023 World Watch List of places most difficult to be a Christian.
Share with others: