Washington, Jan 1 (AFP) The United States has called on China to release Pastor Wang Yi, the leader of an unofficial Protestant church who was sentenced to nine years in prison.

"I am alarmed that Pastor Wang Yi, leader of Chengdu's Early Rain house church, was tried in secret and sentenced to nine years in prison on trumped-up charges," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Twitter on Tuesday.

"Beijing must release him and end its intensifying repression of Christians and members of all other religious groups," Pompeo said.

State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus described Wang's arrest as "yet another example of Beijing's intensification of repression of Chinese Christians and members of other religious groups." (AFP)

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