Hanmei “Hannah” Xu and Qingxin “Pure Heart” Li, wife and son of Dr. Li Baiguang, made it to the U.S. from China and are currently seeking asylum. ChinaAid reported the arrival in a press release detailing the life of Dr. Li Baiguang who died in China in 2018.
"Since Dr. Li’s sudden death in early 2018, his wife, Hanmei Xu, has been closely controlled and monitored without freedom of movement by agents arranged by the Communist Party of China in order to prevent her from having contact with anyone overseas,” Rev. Dr. Bob Fu said in a press release from ChinaAid.
Dr Li's wife and son Hanmei “Hannah” Xu and Qingxin “Pure Heart” Li landed in the US last month after a difficult time in China attempting to flee, according to the press release. “After much suffering in China, with the help of ChinaAid and Voice of the Martyrs Korea, we are glad to finally arrive in the USA, land of freedom. We thank all brothers, sisters, and other friends of the international community who have been praying and caring about Li Baiguang and our whole family,” Xu said.
Voice of the Martyrs Korea co-founder and President Dr. Hyun Sook Foley also spoke on the return of Dr. Li's wife and son: “Our focus at this point is on providing comfort, support, and stability for the family. We had the privilege of teaching persecution recovery strategies to Dr. Li, and now we have the privilege and heavy responsibility of putting those same strategies into practice with his wife and son.”
According to the press release, Dr. Li Baiguang was a human rights attorney who promoted religious freedom in China by traveling around the country to take on cases. In 2008, Dr. Li was invited to the White House three times by then President George W. Bush. Dr. Li also received an award from the National Endowment for Democracy. In 2017, Dr. Li reported he was arrested by the Chinese government and "abducted, beaten, and threatened with dismemberment" in the Zhejiang province. Dr. Li died in early 2018 at age 49 from a liver condition after checking in to a hospital for a "stomach complaint." The press release notes his death was "suspicious" as friends and family reported him to be in good health prior.
Dr. Li graduated from Beijing University with a Ph.D in constitutional law and taught the ideals of democracy at Hainan University before he was arrested, according to the press release. ChinaAid president Bob Fu said that Dr. Li found Christianity in 2005 and developed his 'ant strategy' of traveling around China to help with religious freedom cases. “He publicly professed his faith in Christ in 2005 and gave up his ‘grand ideas’ about government reform and constitutional change in favor of what he called an ‘ant strategy,” said Fu.
Included in the press release were excerpts from Dr. Li's writings: “Recently I’ve had a realization: I’m willing to become an ant. I want to take the rights and freedoms in the books and, through case after case, bring them into the real world bit by bit. This is my personal stance. The path to this is legal procedure. In summer, the ant gathers food. Today, I’m also transporting food under the framework of rights defense, and in doing so accumulating experience and results for the arrival of the day.”
According to its website, ChinaAid is a non-profit organization committed to religious liberty in China. The website states, "By exposing the abuses, encouraging the abused, and spiritually and legally equipping the leaders to defend their faith and freedom, ChinaAid strives to promote religious freedom for all."
