- China releases US pastor David Lin
- Lin imprisoned since 2006 for contract fraud
- US hopes for more citizen releases from China
According to the US State Department, China has released David Lin, a pastor from the United States who had been imprisoned since 2006.
Lin, aged 68, received a life sentence after being convicted of contract fraud.
Washington identified him as illegally incarcerated and had been urging Beijing to release him for years.
“We celebrate David Lin’s release from prison in the People’s Republic of China. According to a State Department official, he has returned to the United States and will see his family for the first time in nearly two decades.
Lin’s daughter Alice told Politico that her father was expected to arrive in Texas on Sunday.
“No words can express our joy—we have a lot of time to make up for,” she told Politico.
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In addition to Lin, China has detained several US citizens, including Kai Li, a businessman suspected of spying in 2016.
Last November, the head of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee encouraged President Joe Biden to use his visit with Chinese President Xi Jinping to advocate for the release of Lin, Li, and a third detainee, Mark Swidan.
Washington claims the three were illegally detained. China said the law handles such situations.
Politico quoted a US official involved with the negotiations as saying, “Our hope is that David’s release creates the space for additional diplomacy” to liberate Swidan and Li.
Lin’s release came only weeks after National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan met with China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing.
A congressional commission will hold a hearing this Wednesday on the topic of US citizens imprisoned in China.
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