Pastor John Cao

Though released from prison after completing his full seven-year sentence, Pastor John Cao has remained under restrictions and heavy surveillance that have amounted to house arrest. His passport has also been withheld by Chinese authorities; as a result, he has been unable to reunite with his family abroad for more than a decade.

In late April 2026, Pastor Cao was urgently admitted to the hospital, where it was discovered that he has late-stage prostate cancer that has metastasized and a spinal tumor that is causing great pain.

Pastor John Cao was released on March 3, 2024, after serving a seven-year sentence in Kunming, Yunnan province. John was a missionary in Myanmar’s Wa state, where he worked to fight poverty and provide aid to more than 2,000 impoverished minority children. Though Chinese officials knew he had routinely crossed the border between China and Myanmar, they arrested him on March 5, 2017, on a charge of illegal border crossing. The authorities later changed the charge to “organizing illegal border crossings” and sentenced the pastor to seven years in prison in March 2018.

Pastor John Cao was able to meet with his mother a few days ago. Because of the pandemic, his mother was only able to see him via video link, but she said John looks fine. He told her he prays daily for his brothers and sisters in Christ and everything going on in the world. He said he is also aware of what has happened to Pastor Wang Yi. 
 
He reassured his mother that he does not have to do field work, and that he has time to read and interact with other inmates. 

On March 5, 2017, police arrested Cao San-Qiang (John Cao), a Chinese pastor known for his work among Myanmar’s poor. Authorities charged Pastor Cao with “organizing illegal crossings of national borders” and, one year later, sentenced him to seven years in prison.

Pastor Cao, 58, is married to an American citizen and is a long-time resident of North Carolina. The pastor, who is currently being held in the Menglian Detention Center, had been crossing the border between China and Myanmar for three years without incident and with the knowledge of Chinese officials. In the Wa State of northern Myanmar, Pastor Cao helped build 16 schools that serve 2,000 impoverished children. He also established educational projects to help alleviate poverty among local minority groups.

Experts believe his arrest and sentencing are related to the ruling Communist Party’s attempts to control, the house church movement.

Pastor Cao became a believer in his 20s. After he married an American citizen, attended seminary and settled in the U.S., he felt led to return as a missionary to his home country of China. He worked for many years  establishing  schools  in  China  before  turning  his  attention  to  neighboring  Myanmar  in  2014. According to his son, his work in Myanmar was much more humanitarian than his previous work with the house churches in China.

After he was arrested, the world learned about his imprisonment and sent many letters to him. The Chinese government kept postponing his trial because so many people sent letters. But, in July 2019, he was sentenced to 7 years in prison.

Pray for the pastor’s wife, Jamie Powell, and their sons, Benjamin and Amos.

Click the button above to print Scripture verses in the prisoner’s language. You can cut and paste them to your letter.

Cao San-Qiang
Mailbox No.2, No. 48 Wangdaqiao,
Dongjiao, Kunming Prison, Kunming City,
Yunnan Province 650216
People’s Republic of China