(Anhui – May 14, 2026) As U.S. President Donald Trump began a visit to China this week (May 14–16), renewed attention has turned to the Chinese government’s treatment of unregistered Christian churches.
On May 11, family members connected to the Fuyang Maizhong Church case in Anhui Province, an east-central region of China, issued an open letter inviting President Trump to pay attention to the case and attend the court hearing.
On May 14, Xu Chao, Pastor Zhang Sen’s wife, wrote in a post on X that unidentified individuals began appearing outside her home after the letter was released. ChinaAid News recently reported how Xu Chao briefly saw her detained husband while he was being transported to a court hearing.
Fuyang Maizhong Church, a house church, has experienced sustained pressure from authorities. House churches are independent Protestant congregations that operate outside China’s state-sanctioned religious system.
(Xu Chao on X)
Previously, Pastor Zhang Sen and two other church leaders — Pastor Chang Shun and Elder Ma Tao — were criminally detained and prosecuted by local authorities for allegedly “organizing illegal gatherings,” citing activities such as officiating weddings for Christians and welcoming detained believers upon their release from custody in March 2024.
Pastor Zhang Sen, Pastor Chang Shun, and Elder Ma Tao remain in detention, and the case is approaching trial. The families say the charges are politically motivated and maintain the men’s innocence.
Upon learning of President Trump’s visit to China, Xu Chao, wife of Pastor Zhang Sen, along with the wives of the other two detained church leaders, jointly authored an open letter to President Trump.
In the letter, they invited the president, either personally or through representatives, to attend Pastor Zhang Sen’s court hearing during the visit, as previously reported by ChinaAid.
They expressed hope that the international community would understand the treatment of house church families within China’s judicial system.
The women say the letter was followed by increased surveillance and visits from unidentified individuals. Xu Chao revealed that, shortly after the letter’s publication, her daily routine was disrupted.
“Every day, there are strangers outside my door holding phones with their cameras on, constantly knocking on my door. The president hasn’t even arrived yet, but these uninvited visitors showed up first.”
Xu Chao expressed confusion and fear, stating: “What exactly is going on?”
Currently, the three pastors’ wives are reportedly experiencing significant psychological pressure. The families are appealing to international human rights organizations to monitor the judicial fairness of Pastor Zhang Sen’s case and are urging local authorities to end the surveillance and harassment of family members, as well as to guarantee citizens’ basic residential safety and freedom of expression.
Gao Zhensai, Special Correspondent for ChinaAid
ChinaAid, founded in 2002, is an international, Christian nonprofit human rights organization that inspires, informs, and invites people to transformative action on behalf of persecuted people of all faiths in China. Sign up to receive ChinaAid News every week.