Trump’s ‘unique’ diplomacy gives hope to families detained in China

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Today's Top Stories - August 26, 2026

Today's Top Stories - August 26, 2026

Grace Jin Drexel was living in agony for seven months, advocating for the release of her father from a Chinese prison, when a friend mentioned to her in early May that her phone must be blowing up. 

A short time earlier, President Trump, in response to a question from The Hill, had said he would raise the issue of Ezra Jin, the leader of the Zion Church in China who was arrested in October, when he meets Chinese President Xi Jinping in October.

“Huge, huge!” Drexel told The Hill in an interview in Washington about the moment that changed everything in the effort to secure her father’s release. She was holding her 2-month-old son, Ezra, who is named for her father.

Shortly after she saw Trump answer The Hill, Drexel during an interview with Fox News thanked the president. It’s an appearance she believes furthered efforts to win the pastor’s release.

Jin was freed in July, two months after Trump met with Xi in Beijing and personally raised the issue of releasing the church leader.

The whole episode served as a somewhat textbook case of how to appeal to Trump for results: Raise an issue personally with the president, reinforce it on Fox News and show him he could yield tangible wins.

Ahead of the Trump-Xi summit in Washington on Sept. 24, Drexel believes the time is now to ask the president to advocate for the release of at least eight Zion Church leaders still detained in China on religious freedom grounds. 

“From my perspective, why not ask for the stars? If not me, who is going to be asking? There are so many people still detained in China,” she said. 

A White House official told The Hill that Trump is “always concerned about Americans detained abroad” when asked whether they expect the issue will come up during Xi’s visit.

“As he has said publicly, President Trump raised Pastor Jin’s detention directly with Xi Jinping. He will always champion religious freedom around the world,” the official said. 

It’s not clear if that formula can be repeated next month.

Both leaders are keen on improving the relationship between the world’s two largest economies.

The leaders are expected to grapple with the issues of trade policy, artificial intelligence........

© The Hill