One year has passed since the Beijing Zion Church "October 9" church case; eight pastors and church workers, accused of fraud and illegal business operation, are detained in Beihai, Guangxi, and the case has been transferred to the court awaiting trial.
The Zion Church announced that, as the trial approaches, justice administration departments in multiple regions have been pressuring defense lawyers and their firms, and 4 of the original 16 defense lawyers have formally withdrawn under the pressure.
On the morning of September 29, the Taiyuan Municipal Public Security Bureau took Xuncheng Reformed Church preacher An Yankui from his home. His wife Yao Congya received a phone call from the police and was told that he had been placed under administrative detention for 15 days for "illegally organizing religious activities."
On September 3, 2026, the Associated Press reported that Wang Xiahong, a partner at Beijing's Kaimen Law Firm, fled to Taiwan under the pressure of official orders to dissolve the firm after taking on the Zion Church case, and is seeking resettlement assistance.
On the eve of Xi Jinping's planned visit to Washington for a meeting with U.S. President Trump, several religious groups in Washington held an event at the Museum of the Bible, calling on Trump to demand that the Chinese government release individuals imprisoned for their faith and freedom of speech during the meeting, and to include religious freedom and human rights issues on the diplomatic agenda.
According to Hu Liren's video, U.S. President Trump raised the cases of Li Zhiying and Pastor Kim Myeong-il directly with Xi Jinping. Xi Jinping said the release of Pastor Kim could be considered, and Pastor Kim was subsequently rescued and released from prison.
On August 31, 2026, Hunan home church pastor Cao Sanqiang disclosed in an exclusive interview that, two and a half years after being released from a 7-year prison sentence, he is still on the list of those barred from leaving the country. Cao Sanqiang, who suffers from late-stage prostate cancer, urged the authorities to permit him to travel to the United States to reunite with his family.
On August 28, 2026, Radio Free Asia reported that the Baoxing Funeral Home in Hongkou District, Shanghai, had stopped holding Catholic and Christian funeral services and no longer allowed priests to officiate, while other funeral homes were also subjected to strict time limits.
The Beihai Procuratorate in Guangxi has officially indicted Pastor Jin Mingri and eight other pastors and co-workers from the Xi'an church on charges of fraud and illegal business operations, marking a continued crackdown on religious faith groups by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
On July 27, 2026, Beijing Zion Church pastor Kim Myeong-il, after arriving in the United States, gave an exclusive interview, disclosing that the authorities handling the case had characterized the believers' voluntary offerings, support for pastors, and theological training as fraud and illegal business operations involving over 10 million yuan.
The 8 detainees in the Xi'an church case were swiftly handed over to the court; their lawyers received no notice and were not heard.
Pastor Kim Min-chul was released on Independence Day, less than two months after the summit between Trump and Xi Jinping in May.
Pastor Kim Myeong-il of Beijing Xi'an Church was released on July 3 after being detained by the Chinese government for nearly ten months, and subsequently traveled to the United States to reunite with his family.
Jin Mingri, a Beijing house church figure and founder of Zion Church, has been released after years of detention and flown to the United States by a chartered flight from Beijing.
Pastor Jin Mingri has been released by the CCP. Host Hu Liren believes this is a signal of Xi Jinping 'kneeling and begging' to the United States, and predicts that Jimmy Lai will also be released soon.