As President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi prepare for a planned September summit, Chinese authorities continue to detain, question and investigate Christians affiliated with house churches and state-sanctioned congregations. Recent developments involve prominent churches in Chengdu and Beijing, as well as pastors and church workers in several provinces.
Because Chinese authorities tightly restrict public information, many details of these cases can be difficult to verify independently. The following roundup summarizes recent developments reported by ChinaAid and its sources.
Early Rain Covenant Church
Early Rain Covenant Church leaders and coworkers face new legal and surveillance pressure.
Lawyers were recently notified that the case involving Elder Li Yingqiang and Preacher Dai Zhichao was returned to public security authorities for supplementary investigation. Li and Dai were previously charged with “inciting subversion of state power” and “organizing illegal gatherings.” Their case was transferred to the procuratorate on July 12, 2026.
Reports indicate Li was allowed to meet his lawyer for the first time after six and a half months of detention. Co-defendant and Vice Deacon Jia Xuewei was formally arrested on suspicion of “organizing illegal gatherings.” His case remains under investigation.
On Aug. 21, police removed Elder Yan Hong from his residence with a summons warrant. This marked the second time in a week he was taken from his home for investigation.
Dai’s wife, Lu Lingzhi, recently published an article titled “How Is Dai Zhichao Capable of Subverting State Power?” on her WeChat public account, drawing widespread attention and reposts. On Aug. 15, local police went to her home and demanded she delete the article despite her being postpartum. After she refused, saying the content was truthful, the platform permanently banned her account. Their third child was 29 days old on Aug. 19.
Updates regarding Beijing Zion Church
Beijing Zion Church, founded by recently freed Pastor Ezra Jin, continues to advocate for the release of eight other church leaders and members detained in China.
Elder Wang Zhong’s father passed away on Aug. 18. Before his father’s passing, authorities rejected Wang’s request for bail on Aug. 8, citing two reasons: they needed to assess whether he posed a danger to society and whether he would appear for a trial scheduled for Aug. 14-18.
The trial was later delayed after lawyers protested that they had insufficient time to review case files. Authorities then cited Wang’s history of heart conditions, claiming he might suffer a heart attack while traveling to meet his father and would not make it to court. They also said the assessment was not finished.
Wang and his elderly father were unable to be with each other during his final days, and his father remained deeply worried about his detained son.
Letters Pastor Gao Yingjia sent to his family from prison were severely delayed. His father said a letter written on May 2 was postmarked from Beihai on Aug. 4 and arrived in Zhangjiakou, Hebei, on Aug. 7, meaning the letter took more than three months to arrive.
Other detained pastors and church members
Pastor Wang Sanyuan, 73, of Changchunli Christian Church in Jinan, was taken away on Mar. 17. Nearly five months after his detention, his family still has received no official word about his whereabouts or legal status. He suffers from cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and has required multiple hospitalizations. His detention may be connected to a church property defense action more than a decade ago.
On July 25, Sun Chao, a 37-year-old minister of the Philadelphia Church in Qujing, Yunnan, was detained by the Xuanwei City Public Security Bureau on charges of “illegal proselytization.”
On Aug. 7, his wife, Zhao Ying, was informed that Sun’s detention was converted to criminal detention, with the charge changed to “organizing illegal gatherings.”
Pastor David Tang, founder of the Purpose Driven Church of Wenzhou, a church financial administrator and five church coworkers were taken from Wenzhou to Shanghai by police on the morning of Aug. 5. All seven are currently detained at the Chongming District Detention Center. Authorities have not announced grounds for their detention.
Taken together, these cases indicate that Christians affiliated with unregistered churches continue to face detention, investigation and other pressure across multiple regions of China, even as international attention remains focused on U.S.-China relations.
As ChinaAid continues to monitor these developments, churches are urged to join us in prayer for persecuted Christians. Advocates can also take steps to speak up for the rights of the oppressed.
Gao Zhensai is a special correspondent for ChinaAid News. 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.