Anticipating President Trump’s upcoming state visit to China, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is urging his administration to press Chinese officials for expanded religious freedom in the country.
In an April 28 press release, the USCIRF called on Trump to use the “unique opportunity” during his May 14 visit to urge Chinese officials to “turn the tide” of religious persecution and release prisoners detained for exercising their right to freedom of religion.
The release said that since Trump’s last presidential state visit to China in 2017, the country has implemented a “sinicization of religion” policy that brings religious groups under state control and aligns them with Communist Party ideology. The release added that under President Xi Jinping, religious freedom has also worsened to a “horrific degree.”
Asif Mahmood, vice chair of the USCIRF, commended the U.S. Congress for its “tireless advocacy” of religious freedom, including a recent resolution calling for the release of individuals detained in China for exercising their right to freedom of religion.
As Zeale News also previously reported, 78-year-old Jimmy Lai, founder of the now-defunct Hong Kong newspaper Apple Daily, who received a 20-year prison sentence in February, is among those whose imprisonment has drawn global attention and sparked concerns about China’s communist regime infringing on civil liberties.
The release also referenced the USCIRF’s 2026 annual report in which it urged the U.S. Department of State to redesignate China as a “Country of Particular Concern” due to its “insidious tools of repression.”
As Zeale News previously reported, the annual report comes amid broader warnings that religious freedom abuses remain widespread around the world, noting that such designations are reserved for governments committing or allowing severe violations of religious liberty.
Mahmood said in the release that Trump should “drive home the message that his administration cannot tolerate the ongoing mass repression of China’s beleaguered religious communities.”