Who is Jin Mingri? Underground church founder walks free from Chinese prison, reunites with loved ones in US

Jin, the founder and pastor of the Zion Church, was imprisoned following overnight raids across China in October, which Christian groups described as one of the most severe crackdowns on religious activity in the country's modern history, the BBC reported.

China maintains strict state control over religious practice, with authorities closely regulating religious organisations and activities.

Following his release, Jin's family thanked supporters and expressed their gratitude in a statement quoted by the BBC.

"We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy."

The Chinese government has not officially commented on the case.

The family also thanked US President Donald Trump and his administration "for their tremendous leadership," adding that they believed "this could not have happened without the direct intervention from [Chinese President] Xi Jinping."

"We hope this is a signal of a positive turn for people of faith in China and relations between our two nations," the statement said, according to the BBC.

CNN reported that Trump's intervention came after he raised Jin's case with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a visit to Beijing in May.

"We are feeling so overwhelmed with joy. We thank God for this tremendous miracle," Jin's daughter, Grace Jin Drexel, said in a family statement to CNN.

Jin founded the Zion Church in 2007 with just 20 members. It later grew into China's largest unregistered Protestant church, reportedly building a network of around 10,000 followers across 40 cities.

According to media reports, Chinese authorities banned the church in 2018 as part of a broader crackdown by the Chinese Communist Party on unregistered religious groups.