(JIANGXI, CHINA — Oct. 23, 2026) — Two house church leaders remain in criminal detention after police raids that swept up 27 Christians in southeastern China, with authorities alleging illegal border crossings reportedly linked to overseas theological training.
Church leader Ding Xing’an and coworker Liang Youping are the last two Christians still held following the Oct. 18 raids in Pingxiang, Jiangxi Province. Police have released the other 25 detainees, while the men’s families received criminal detention notices Oct. 20.
Authorities reportedly accuse the men of “illegally crossing the national border,” in connection with a trip Ding and others made to Indonesia in September for a seven-day theological training course. The specific alleged violation remains unclear.
According to local believers, approximately 40 armed police officers and other law enforcement personnel targeted two meeting sites in the Pingxiang Economic Development Zone around 9:30 a.m. Oct. 18. ChinaAid previously reported that officers entered a private home in Phoenix Mountain Villa, where Ding was sharing scripture.
Ding, who is in his 40s, and his wife embraced Christianity while living in southern China’s Hainan Province. In 2022, he left a managerial position at the state-owned Haikou Urban Investment Company and a teaching position in higher education.
His wife also resigned from her position as a middle school teacher in Haikou. The couple returned to their hometown of Pingxiang to establish a house church and began outreach to older people, those who were ill and people with disabilities.
According to local believers, the congregation gradually attracted younger participants and expanded to two regular meeting sites in the Pingxiang Economic Development Zone. About 80 people now regularly participate in its activities.
Overseas theological training under scrutiny
China generally requires organized religious worship to take place through government-approved institutions and venues. Independent Protestant congregations operating outside that system have faced raids, closures and detentions as authorities seek greater oversight of religious activities.
Christians attending religious events overseas have faced similar accusations. An Yankui, a house church leader in northern China’s Shanxi Province, received a one-year prison sentence in 2022 in connection with attending a Christian conference in Malaysia, according to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.
Pastor Bob Fu, president of ChinaAid, said, “The authorities’ harsh treatment of overseas theological training means that the space for ordinary house church gatherings is being further restricted. It also sends a clear message: any attempt to bypass official religious institutions and establish transnational faith connections will face extremely high legal risks and political costs.”
Local authorities have not issued a public statement about the detentions, and further details about the legal proceedings involving Ding and Liang have not been made public.
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.