Religious Freedom · Full chronicle and history

US President Trump delivered a speech at the UN General Assembly accusing Iran of funding terrorism, stating that it will never be allowed to possess nuclear weapons and faces a choice between reaching an agreement or total destruction.

Ahead of the US-China leaders' summit, several bipartisan lawmakers told Voice of America that US policy toward Taiwan remains unchanged, supporting Taiwan in maintaining its self-defense capabilities continues to be an important issue for Washington, and emphasizing the maintenance of the cross-strait status quo.

On September 22, US Senate Democratic Whip Durbin spoke on the Senate floor, demanding that Trump raise the release of detainees such as Gulshan Abbas, Jimmy Lai, Gao Quanfu, Pang Yu, and Akbar Asat during his meeting with Xi Jinping.

US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are scheduled to hold talks at the White House on September 24. This will be the second face-to-face meeting between the two heads of state this year, drawing attention from bipartisan lawmakers in Congress regarding national security, trade, human rights, Iran, and other issues.

The White House confirmed to the media on September 17 that Chinese President Xi Jinping will pay a state visit to the White House on September 24. President Trump will personally go to Joint Base Andrews at 4:00 PM on the 23rd to welcome him and will host a state dinner at the White House.

Xie Weiyaxing, wife of US scholar Mingen who is illegally detained by China, revealed that US consular officials visited Mingen for the fourth time on September 15. He was in good spirits and earnestly requested President Trump to raise this case at the summit.

In September 2026, former US Ambassador for International Religious Freedom Brownback and recently released Pastor Jin Mingri held a lunch meeting in Washington to discuss the significant impact of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on global religious freedom and human rights, and reviewed the shift in US security strategy over the past 25 years and its profound impact on the world.

On September 10, 2026, a 25th anniversary 9/11 luncheon was held in Washington. Former U.S. Ambassador for Religious Freedom, Sam Brownback, and released Pastor Jin Ming attended to discuss the significance of 9/11 for religious freedom and human rights, as well as its impact on global security.

The US Secretary of State met with the Japanese Foreign Minister and the South Korean Foreign Minister. The three parties expressed support for peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, opposed any unilateral changes to the status quo, and supported Taiwan's meaningful participation in international organizations.

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.

Sam Brownback, the former U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, stated that China's oppression of religion and ethnic minorities has extended beyond its borders, affecting overseas individuals and their families in China, and noted that this involves international obligations undertaken by China.

Following his release, Pastor Kim Mingri stated that although China's policies support major religions, the rights of faith communities are not fully guaranteed in actual practice. He called on the international community to pay attention and urge Beijing to release those detained for their religious beliefs.

Experts at a Washington think tank warn that the US and Chinese supply chains are deeply intertwined. Economic competition should establish policy guardrails, enhance transparency, clarify countermeasures, and draw clear boundaries between national security and the economy to avoid miscalculation and accidental escalation.

On July 1, 2026, the Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress officially took effect. Tibetan and Uyghur groups warned at the UN that the law legalizes cultural erasure, while UN human rights experts stated it could severely impact the linguistic, cultural, and religious autonomy of ethnic minorities.

On March 12, 2026, the National People's Congress passed the Law on Promoting National Unity and Progress, stipulating that schools and government agencies must use Mandarin as their primary language. From preschool to high school, Mandarin will be used for instruction, while Tibetan, Uyghur, and Mongolian are phased out of core curricula.