(Beijing) On Sunday, September 15, Beijing unexpectedly released Chinese-American pastor David Lin after nearly 20 years.
News of his release has been covered by U.S. media, with Lin’s family and supporters expressing relief and joy over his return. While this development could impact US-China relations, it is still unclear what concessions, if any, were made by the US to secure his freedom.
Economic advisor turned missionary
Before returning to China as a missionary, the 68-year-old pastor David Lin worked as an economic advisor in Iowa and California, consulting for state officials. When he first arrived in the US, he wasn’t a Christian and told his family that only ignorant people believed in religion. His wife, however, guided him toward faith, and he became actively involved in church. By the 1990s, he began traveling frequently to China to support local churches.
Trapped in China
In 2006, Pastor Lin, with a sincere desire to contribute to the Chinese church, was misled by Beijing officials who falsely promised him the opportunity to build a large church building in the city. In reality, it was a commercial trap.
Pastor Lin sold his home in California, leaving his entire family with nothing, and his wife temporarily homeless. After initial questioning by the Chinese authorities, he was banned from leaving the country and was later detained. Beijing’s judicial officials fabricated prosecution materials to convict him, even attempting to persuade him to sign a guilty plea. But Lin refused, standing firm in his belief that he had done nothing wrong at all.
His new mission field
Despite his legal defense, Lin did not intend to seek attention for his case. He believed that his imprisonment was part of his mission field. He went to China because he felt a deep burden to share the Gospel with the Chinese people. He had a vision of establishing a church and a Christian training center.
Pastor Lin comforted his family by saying, “Don’t worry, God knows what He is doing. God wants me here; there are many people inside who need to hear God’s word. Don’t worry, just pray for me.”
Prison ministry
In 2008, he was placed in a detention center designated for foreigners, where he shared his faith with detainees from over 30 countries. He started a Sunday prayer meeting as soon as he was imprisoned. In September 2009, in an unprecedented move, a Beijing court sentenced him to life imprisonment on charges of “contract fraud.”
Diplomatic efforts
The U.S. State Department considered Pastor Lin’s detention wrongful. International free speech advocates and US officials strongly protested Beijing’s unjust imprisonment of him. The courts reduced his life sentence, but he had already served 17 years. His release was initially expected in April 2030. However, diplomatic efforts evidently had an impact and secured his early release.
Turning point
In December 2018, everything changed. Pastor Lin’s family received a returning package from him containing a Bible. From December 2018 to early 2019, there was an increased frequency of calls from him to his family, urging them to advocate for his release. His health had been deteriorating, and he was not receiving proper medical care.
Advocacy on all fronts
ChinaAid suspected at the time that Pastor Lin was subjected to “inhumane treatment” in prison. Pastor Bob Fu and the organization made extensive efforts for his release through the State Department, Congress, and Chinese human rights lawyers. Lin’s family urgently contacted the State Department for assistance.
In 2019, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) expressed concern that Pastor Lin had been targeted in prison due to his Christian faith and raised the alarm about his safety and health.
Advocacy at the highest level
The U.S. government consistently worked to secure his release. In March 2023, U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns visited Pastor Lin. Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed concern about Lin’s release during his July meeting this year with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Laos, while White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan raised the issue during his August visit to China. Both officials emphasized that securing Lin’s freedom was a “top priority.”
According to White House sources, President Joe Biden discussed Pastor Lin’s case during his meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in San Francisco last November, and again during a phone call earlier this year.
The State Department has confirmed Pastor David Lin’s release from Beijing. A spokesperson stated, “We welcome David Lin’s release from prison in the People’s Republic of China.” The statement continued, “He has returned to the United States and now gets to see his family for the first time in nearly 20 years.”
Tensions for Lin’s release
U.S. officials have maintained a certain level of silence regarding Pastor Lin’s release, possibly to avoid making it awkward for the Chinese authorities and to prevent the impression that Beijing made a major political concession in response to U.S. demands. His release came just before Congress held a hearing on Americans detained in China.
Major U.S. media outlets, including the Associated Press, The New York Times, Fox, CBS News, CNN, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post, all ran extensive coverage, frequently citing ChinaAid’s previous reports.
Hostage diplomacy
Some media portrayed the detention of American citizens in China as a form of “hostage diplomacy” aimed at influencing U.S. policy. However, it remains unclear what political costs or concessions the U.S. may have incurred to secure Lin’s release. Regardless, behind-the-scenes negotiations should not encourage or lead to the rise of similar cases in the future.
Americans detained in China
It is estimated that between 200 and 300 American citizens are wrongfully detained in China, with many of these cases drawing national attention. The arrest of U.S. citizens in any authoritarian country is often seen as a sign of a growing trend of hostage diplomacy by dictators worldwide.
In March of this year, Beijing released Pastor John Cao, who had been wrongfully convicted and sentenced to seven years. Pastor Cao is a U.S. permanent resident, and his wife is an American citizen. He was arrested along with his colleague by Chinese authorities in March 2017, accused of illegally crossing the China-Myanmar border.
Making up for lost time
Ahead of the Mid-Autumn Festival, Pastor David Lin was released and returned to the U.S. His daughter was overjoyed and told Politico in an interview, “No words can express the joy we have — we have a lot of time to make up for.”
Bob Fu, founder and president of ChinaAid, said “Pastor Lin is a simple, kind man, full of God’s love, but he was misled by Chinese intelligence officers in Beijing, who promised to allow him to build a large independent church. They set him up in a commercial trap, causing him to lose everything — he sold his house in California, leaving Ms. Lin with nowhere to live. Later, he was shockingly sentenced to life imprisonment. The Chinese Communist Party should abandon this ‘hostage diplomacy game’ that targets innocent Western individuals of conscience.” Pastor Bob Fu said.
China’s track record
China has shown some goodwill gestures, first by reducing sentences, granting visitation rights, and eventually releasing individuals. However, the cloud of suspicion hanging over people’s heads didn’t completely dissipate.
Last summer, the U.S. State Department updated its travel advisory for China, urging Americans to “reconsider” traveling there due to the risk of arbitrary detention and exit bans. This advisory has not been rescinded. The Congressional-Executive Commission on China commented on the 16th that the People’s Republic of China wrongfully detains more Americans than any other country.
Religious Freedom in China
China continues to imprison many Christians who are discriminated against simply for practicing their faith. These individuals are denied the freedom to choose their beliefs and endure constant surveillance, raids, arrests, and other coercive measures. The authorities’ actions are politically motivated, but for the persecuted, it is a matter of their faith.
