From court to airport: Wang Xiaobo went to Taiwan to seek resettlement, and the pressure on the church case in Zion has surpassed the defendant's table

A lawyer who begins to think about whether he will be the next target because of an agent case is in itself a news about the judiciary.

Ruth Wang, a partner at Beijing’s Camden law firm, decided not to return to China after receiving notification from relevant Chinese authorities during a trip to Japan, and arrived in Taiwan with her family on September 2 to seek a way to relocate to the United States, Canada or other countries.

She was an advocate, and now she is a risk-bearer.

Wang Xiaobo has been involved in the legal work of Beijing’s Zion Church Pastors and Members cases since October

1. She told Associated Press that the authorities had asked her and her colleagues to dissolve the law office on their own or could otherwise be shut down by the authorities.

At the same time, Zhang Kai, founder of the law, has been revoked and restricted to leave the country, and other lawyers have also suffered suspension of practice, such as measures.For the specific pressures described by Wang Xiaobo, the Chinese public security organs did not immediately respond to the agency; the Beijing City Judicial Bureau said it had no right to handle international media inquiries.

Wang Xiaobo's statements belong to the public testimony of the parties to the Associated Press; the specific legal basis and complete documents of the relevant administrative measures should continue to be verified.

A new chain of responsibility emerges in the case of the Church of Zion

The incident could be broken down into a clear chain:

• In October 2025, several pastors and staff members of the Church of Zion were arrested;
• Wang Xiaobo's lawyer team intervened in defence;
• Lawyers subsequently pressure from the agency, practice and lawyer level;
• Wang Xiaobo decided not to return to China while abroad;
• She and her family arrived in Taiwan and sought resettlement in a third country.

The public significance of this chain exceeds that of Wang Xiaobo’s individual residence. If a lawyer must assess his personal freedom, qualification for practice and risk of exit because of the acceptance of a certain type of client’s assignment, it is limited not only to one lawyer, but to the party’s ability to choose a lawyer.

Religious cases and the right to practice lawyers are intertwined here

The Church of Zion belongs to a family church that is not registered in China's official religious management system. Beijing's regulation of religious activities has long been intertwined with national security and social organization management, and when lawyers intervene in such cases, professional independence often faces directly political sensitive boundaries.

The Qing Shui case therefore poses two levels of rights issues: on the one hand, the right of members of religious groups to defend themselves in the face of criminal and administrative pressure; and on the other hand, whether lawyers can be exempt from professional retaliation for performing their defence duties.

Taiwan is just a transit station, the real problem is still in Beijing.

Taiwan does not have a complete refugee law system, and Wang Xiaobo is currently seeking a third-country resettlement.She eventually went to the point of course worthy of attention, but focused on China’s belief that the more important issue is not at the airport.

The relevant departments in Beijing need to answer: What formal administrative decisions are made by the Chamber of Laws and lawyers? exists the requirement to stop acting, what is the basis? does the practice of lawyers punishment provide hearings and judicial remedies?

If a judicial system allows lawyers to act in sensitive cases, but also force lawyers to withdraw through practice, law and personal risk, then the paper-based defence may still be wiped out in reality.