Christian pastor John Cao remains in China more than two years after completing a seven-year prison sentence, currently unable to obtain his passport and return to the United States to reunite with his wife and family.
Cao, a U.S. permanent resident in his 60s, also has metastatic prostate cancer. He lives in Changsha, Hunan Province, with his 90-year-old mother while his wife and two sons remain in North Carolina. ChinaAid founder and president Bob Fu is urging the Trump administration to press for Cao’s return on humanitarian grounds.
In an Aug. 21 interview with Lara Trump, Fu said Cao spent decades serving in China through Christian ministry and humanitarian work. He said Cao helped establish 16 schools serving more than 2,000 impoverished children before being arrested in 2017 and sentenced to seven years in prison.
Fu said Cao completed the full sentence without a reduction but was still prevented from returning to the United States. “According to China’s own law, he should have been allowed to get his passport after he served his sentence and come back to reunite with his family,” Fu said. “It seems the only reason I speculate is his dedication to the gospel.”
Even while under surveillance, Fu said, Cao continued holding Christian gatherings and baptizing new believers. Cao’s religious activity after his release, Fu suggested, may explain why Chinese authorities have continued restricting his ability to leave the country.
Cao’s health has made his continued separation from his family especially urgent. Fu said Cao has been diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer that has spread to his bones and wants to return to the United States to spend the rest of his life with his family.
Fu also pointed to a potential diplomatic opportunity. Chinese President Xi Jinping is scheduled to meet with President Donald Trump in Washington on Sept. 24, and Fu said the meeting could provide an opportunity to raise Cao’s case.
Lara Trump, daughter-in-law of President Trump, expressed sympathy for Cao and said she believes the president is particularly attentive to cases involving Americans who need help returning home. “You hate to hear things like this happening,” she said. “And I’ll tell you, if there is any president who pays attention to these type of things and wants the right outcome, it is certainly President Trump.”
She continued: “We’ve seen him bring hostages home, Bob. We’ve seen him try all he can to do the right thing to ensure the right outcome in situations like this.”
The case illustrates the risks faced by Christians who openly practice and evangelize in China, according to Fu. For Cao, those consequences have extended beyond imprisonment to prolonged separation from his family and an inability to return to the United States while facing advanced cancer.
“John has been helping so many people, and I think it’s our time to help bring him home,” said Fu.
ChinaAid launched the “Bring Pastor Cao Home” petition Aug. 16, urging President Trump to ask Chinese authorities to return Cao’s passport and facilitate his safe return. The petition had received more than 23,000 signatures by Aug. 26. ChinaAid says it hopes to present the petition to Xi during his planned September visit to Washington.
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.