Video Visit for John Cao

VOM USA 27 August 2020

John Cao - Photo: Ben Cao — John Cao
Photo: Ben Cao

In March 2017, Cao San-Qiang (John Cao) was detained and accused of "organizing illegal border crossings" between Myanmar and China. Pastor Cao, who is married to an American citizen, has been a long-time resident of North Carolina. Well known for his humanitarian work among the poor in Myanmar's Wa State, he has built 16 schools that serve 2,000 impoverished children.

Pastor Cao was arrested and detained, along with a co-worker, for almost a year without charges. He was eventually sentenced to seven years in prison. In July of last year, his latest appeal was rejected based solely on written submissions.

A few days ago, Pastor Cao was finally allowed to meet with his mother via a video link, rather than in person, due to pandemic restrictions. His mother reports that he looks well and is presently not doing any field work, allowing him time to read and interact with other inmates. Pastor Cao also told her that he is praying daily for his brothers and sisters in Christ, as well as everything that is taking place in the world.

More information on Pastor Cao's case can be reviewed here. For reports on other cases of persecution, go to our China Country Report.

Please continue to lift up Pastor Cao in your prayers, asking God to provide him and other imprisoned believers renewed strength as they eagerly await their deliverance. In the interim, may their interactions with fellow inmates be mightily used to lead more people to a saving faith in Christ. Praise God for the encouraging report that Pastor Cao is in good health. Pray for his wife Jamie and their two sons, Benjamin and Amos, who are living in the United States, and also for his dear mother.

Current Ministry Projects
The Voice of the Martyrs Canada continues to help distribute Bibles to Christians in the country, making it possible for them to have their own printed version of God's Word. Additionally, VOMC works with various mission partners to facilitate a Biblical understanding of persecution and discipleship, while presenting ways to effectively respond and minister within the context of hostility.

Project Funds: Underground Church, Bible, Relief & Development
Country Information
Population
1,413,142,846 (2023 est.)

Ethnicity (%)
Han Chinese (91.1), ethnic minorities (8.9 - includes Zhang, Hui, Manchu, Uighur, Miao, Yi, Tujia, Tibetan, Mongol, Dong, Buyei, Yao, Bai, Korean, Hani, Li, Kazakh, Dai, and other nationalities) (2021 est.)

Religion (%)
Folk religion (21.9), Buddhist (18.2), Christian (5.1), Muslim (1.8), Hindu (< 0.1), Jewish (< 0.1), other (0.7 - includes Daoist [Taoist]), unaffiliated (52.1) (2021 est.)

Leader
President Xi Jinping (2013)

Government type
Communist party-led state

Legal system
Based on civil law system; influenced by Soviet and continental European civil law systems

Sources: CIA World Factbook
Pray for China
Pray that the Gospel will be proclaimed throughout China without government interference so many more names can be added to the Lamb's "Book of Life." May there also be a spirit of unity demonstrated among the country's growing churches, further strengthening existing believers and spurring them on in their ministry service and evangelistic outreach within the country's numerous communities.

China News

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Elder Xue Shaoqiang and Sister
Wan Chunqin with some friends.
Photo: ChinaAid

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House Church Bible Study Gathering Raided

One of the church members being interrogated by police.
Photo: ChinaAid

Several Christians were gathered on the morning of August 22nd for a Bible study at the Beijing Holy Love Fellowship church when multiple police officers suddenly entered the facility. After demanding to see the believers' identification cards, the authorities recorded the personal details of all those who were present. At the time of publishing this report, no official statement or charges have been issued by the Beijing police.

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Pastor Arrested for "Illegal Business Operations"

Pastor Huang Yizi
Photo: ChinaAid

Pastor Huang Yizi, a prominent church leader in Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, was informed on July 30th that he had been formally charged with "illegal business practices" relating to the distribution of sermon recordings. The Christian leader and several other church members were initially taken into custody on June 26th. At the time, the reason for their arrests was unclear. (A previously published report about the arrests is available here.) However, following the recent announcement of formal charges, further information has now come to light.

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Detained Pastor's Family Faces Harassment

Pastor Chang Shun with one of his children.
Photo: ChinaAid

Since 2021, Pastor Chang Shun of the Maizhong Reformed Church in Fuyang City has encountered ongoing harassment from Chinese authorities. Unfortunately, all his appeals, in response to the multiple administrative detentions and fines he received over the years, have been unsuccessful. In 2023, Pastor Chang's church was officially banned by the government. Most recently, the harassed church leader was detained on June 29th during a raid by law enforcement officers. In this latest occurrence, he was taken into custody alongside Elder Ma Tao on suspicion of "organizing illegal gatherings." Several visiting friends and family members of Pastor Chang were also detained. Authorities forcibly relocated the visiting individuals, loading their belongings onto trucks and sending them back to their hometowns with strict orders not to return to Fuyang.

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