On Sunday, September 15th, the US Department of State announced that American pastor David Lin, who had been detained in China since 2006, has been released. The United States has consistently maintained that Lin’s detention was unjust and unfair.
For years, American political figures have been urging Beijing to release David Lin. In China, the Communist Party accused Lin of contract fraud and sentenced him to life imprisonment.
According to Reuters, a spokesperson for the US Department of State stated, “We welcome David Lin’s release from the People’s Republic of China’s (Communist China) prison. He has returned to the United States and reunited with his family for the first time in nearly 20 years.”
David Lin’s daughter, Alice, had earlier informed Politico that her 68-year-old father would be arriving in San Antonio, Texas.
“There are no words to express our joy – we have a lot of time to make up for the separation,” Politico quoted her as saying.
Politico reported that an unnamed National Security Council spokesperson, who was not authorized to speak publicly about Lin’s return, stated that the Biden administration welcomed Lin’s release.
David Lin was one of three American citizens whom the US Department of State believed had been unjustly detained by the Chinese Communist Party. A US official familiar with the discussions on the matter said, “During the ASEAN Ministerial meetings in July, US Secretary of State Blinken and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met, and for the first time, China agreed to release him.” Due to the sensitive nature of diplomatic negotiations, the official requested anonymity.
The timing of Pastor Lin’s release came a few weeks after National Security Advisor Jack Sullivan’s visit to China to meet with Wang Yi. “I know that Jack Sullivan did mention my father’s case,” Alice, Lin’s daughter, told Politico.
In November last year, the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee urged President Biden to leverage the opportunity of meeting with the Chinese Communist Party leader to push for the release of David Lin and the other two detained Americans – Kai Li and Mark Swidan.
The US government has stated that these three individuals were unjustly detained by the Chinese Communist Party.
Next Wednesday, a congressional committee will hold a hearing on cases of American citizens imprisoned in China, especially those of Lin, Li, and Swidan. The committee noted that these Americans all face health issues.
The US Department of State has recognized the risk of wrongful detention of American citizens by the Chinese government. The non-profit prisoner release advocacy group, Dui Hua Foundation, estimated last year that there are approximately 200 Americans detained in China, with as many as 30 individuals subject to unlawful exit bans.