(MIDLAND, Texas — August 16, 2026) — A humanitarian campaign is calling on President Donald J. Trump to personally raise the case of Pastor John Cao with Chinese President Xi Jinping during their scheduled September 24 meeting and ask that Pastor Cao be allowed to return to his family in the United States.
Pastor Cao, a U.S. permanent resident, spent seven years in a Chinese prison after years of Christian humanitarian work serving impoverished communities along the China-Myanmar border. Although he completed his full sentence and was released in 2024, Chinese authorities have continued to prevent him from leaving the country by withholding his passport.
The situation is now urgent, notes Bob Fu of ChinaAid, one of several groups uniting for the campaign. Pastor Cao is currently battling stage 4 prostate cancer that has metastasized to his bones and spine. He has undergone chemotherapy and radiation treatment while separated from his wife, Jamie Powell, an American citizen, and their two U.S.-citizen sons. His one-year-old grandson, Conner, has never met his grandfather.
“This is no longer simply a religious freedom or human rights case — it is an urgent humanitarian appeal,” said Rev. Dr. Bob Fu, founder and president of Texas-based nonprofit ChinaAid. “Pastor Cao has already served every day of his seven-year sentence. With advanced cancer threatening his life, we respectfully urge President Trump to personally ask President Xi to return Pastor Cao’s passport and let him come home to his family. There is no justification for prolonging this separation.”
The joint campaign seeks to gather 100,000 signatures before September 24, demonstrating broad public support for this humanitarian request.
Please join us and help bring Pastor John Cao home. Click the graphic above to visit the petition site and sign.
Sam Brownback, former U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom during the first Trump administration, posted on X: “China should allow Pastor Cao to return to his family in America. He has served his sentence for fictitious crimes. It is cruel to make him stay in China, especially now that he has Stage 4 cancer. I hope @POTUS raises his case with President Xi.”
Another prominent advocacy group, the American Center for Law and Justice, is also raising the issue. “We call on U.S. officials, human rights organizations, and faith communities to advocate clearly, consistently, and urgently for Pastor Cao’s immediate humanitarian release,” wrote ACLJ Senior Counsel and International Legal Director CeCe Heil. “This is a moment for governments, advocates, and communities to speak with one voice.
Founded in 2002, ChinaAid is an international Christian human rights organization committed to promoting religious freedom and the rule of law in China through advocacy, legal support, and international awareness campaigns.
Media Contact:
ChinaAid Association
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Website: www.ChinaAid.org