Chinese Attorney Defending Underground Church Flees to Taiwan Amid Government Pressure

HONG KONG — A Chinese attorney who represented a prominent underground church in Beijing has fled to Taiwan and is seeking resettlement assistance after Chinese authorities escalated pressure on her law firm and colleagues.

Ruth Wang, a partner at VDoor Law Firm, has been part of the legal team representing pastors and members of the Zion Church in Beijing since October 2025.

In an exclusive interview with The Associated Press on Thursday, Wang revealed she is facing direct pressure from Chinese authorities, who demanded that she and her colleagues dissolve their firm or face closure by the state.

Last October, Chinese authorities arrested 18 members of the Zion Church, including founder Pastor Ezra Jin, in one of the nation’s largest single-church crackdowns in decades. Jin was released two months ago after U.S. President Donald Trump raised his case with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a May meeting.

“If, as a partner in the firm, I do not cooperate and sign the dissolution documents, what will happen next?” Wang said via an online video interview from Taiwan, where she is currently in transit seeking guidance on her next steps. “I believe this will severely impact my career and other aspects of my life.”

Wang’s situation underscores how China’s pressure against the church and its affiliates continues, even following Jin’s release.

Founded by Jin in 2007, Zion Church is one of China’s largest unregistered underground or house churches, defying government restrictions that mandate believers worship only in state-registered congregations.

Sean Long, a Zion Church pastor currently studying in the United States, told the AP last year that the congregation includes over 5,000 members and operates more than 100 worship sites—ranging from apartments and restaurants to karaoke bars—across approximately 40 Chinese cities.

Under Beijing’s increasingly tight grip, lawyers assisting individuals whom authorities view as dissidents have also faced significant pressure.

VDoor has recently encountered numerous challenges. The license of the firm’s founder and Wang’s mentor, Zhang Kai, was revoked, and he was barred from leaving the country; Wang said other lawyers at the firm were suspended from practicing for six months.

Judicial authorities have demanded that the firm’s lawyers cease representing cases linked to Zion Church and leave the company, she said. She added that when some lawyers attempted to transfer to other firms, they faced restrictions.

While on summer vacation in Japan with her family last month, Wang said Chinese authorities called, demanding she meet them in person. She explained she was not in Beijing and subsequently decided not to return.

Bob Fu, founder of the U.S.-based nonprofit human rights organization ChinaAid, stated that Wang’s case demonstrates the immense pressure facing lawyers who defend persecuted Christians and “other prisoners of conscience.”

“Attorney Wang sought to fulfill the most basic responsibility of a lawyer,” he said. “However, because her clients include detained leaders associated with the Beijing Zion Church, she came to fear she might become the next target.”

Fu urged the Taiwanese government to protect Wang’s family and ensure they are not forcibly returned to mainland China. He also called on the U.S. and other democratic governments to assist Taiwan in finding a resolution.

China’s Public Security Bureau did not immediately comment. When asked about the case, the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Justice, which oversees legal licenses, stated it was not authorized to deal with international media.

The American Institute in Taiwan, the de facto U.S. embassy in the country, also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Upon arriving at a Taiwanese airport with her family, Wang sought assistance from local authorities, requesting permission to stay while she contacted other nations. Although Taiwanese immigration allowed her to remain in the airport area temporarily, they informed her that Taiwan cannot accept political asylum cases from mainland China due to tensions between the Chinese government and the ruling Democratic Progressive Party.

Taiwan, which China considers part of its territory, lacks a formal refugee policy. As relations between Beijing and Taiwan have become increasingly strained, the island has grown wary of security risks posed by China. It has denied permanent residency to some people fleeing from Hong Kong due to Beijing’s tightening control, and has increased scrutiny on Chinese nationals who married and immigrated to Taiwan.

Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Wang said she is exploring resettlement options, including studying in the U.S. or Canada to facilitate her family’s relocation. If that were not possible, they would apply for asylum abroad.

“I feel that our family is currently facing an uncertain future,” she said. “We do not know what will happen, or whether there is anywhere that can accommodate us.”

Wang referenced a biblical story, noting that God sent Boaz, a wealthy relative, to help Ruth when she faced an uncertain future upon moving to a new place.

“I also believe that God will provide me with such a person,” Wang said.

Wu reported from Bangkok.

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