Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ), Co-Chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC), issued the following statement welcoming the release of Pastor Ezra Jin after his unjust detention by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP):

                “I am profoundly grateful that Pastor Ezra Jin has been released and reunited with his family. I especially thank President Trump for personally raising Pastor Jin’s case with CCP General Secretary Xi Jinping and for ensuring that U.S. diplomats remained committed in pressing for his freedom.

                “Pastor Jin should never have spent a single day behind bars for peacefully living out his Christian faith. His release is a joyous answer to countless prayers, and an important reminder that sustained and principled American engagement on behalf of religious and political prisoners can make a difference—including for the eight additional leaders of the Zion Church and the many others detained from across China’s diverse religious communities, such as Christians, Buddhists, Muslims, and Falun Gong practitioners.

                “I also want to express gratitude for the work of Secretary Rubio, Ambassador David Perdue, and the dedicated professionals at the White House and State Department, whose steadfast persistence helped bring Pastor Jin home. 

                “Today, we celebrate Pastor Jin’s freedom, and tomorrow, we renew our commitment to securing the release of every prisoner of conscience still suffering under the cruel hands of the Chinese Communist Party—including and especially Jimmy Lai.”

                Ahead of President Trump’s trip to Beijing in May, the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed Smith’s legislation—by a margin of 414 to 0–to support the President’s initiative to raise the cases and call for the release of political prisoners in the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The resolution (H.Res.1259) specifically highlighted Pastor Jin’s case; before the House voted on the legislation, Smith met with Pastor Jin’s daughter, Grace Jin Drexel, and the family members of other prisoners of conscience in China.

                The CECC has made Pastor Jin's case a sustained priority. In recent months, the Commission has urged President Trump to personally raise Pastor Jin's imprisonment with General Secretary Xi Jinping, highlighted his case in bipartisan advocacy letters, and featured powerful testimony from Grace Jin Drexel during a CECC hearing that examined the CCP’s escalating assault on religious freedom. 

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