CHINA AID ASSOCIATION, INC. (Chinese: 對華援助協會; pinyin: Duì Huá Yuánzhù Xiéhuì),[1] also known as ChinaAid.org is a registered entity in Midland, Texas.
[1] It was described as focusing on raising awareness of human rights abuses, providing support and legal aid to Chinese prisoners of conscience and their families, and promoting the rule of law and religious freedom throughout China.
[2] After fleeing to Hong Kong as an underground church pastor and a former student leader at Tiananmen Square, Bob Fu escaped to America with his wife,[3] and founded ChinaAid.org in 2002 from his new home in Philadelphia.
[4] Two years later in 2012, ChinaAid.org had a budget of $1.5 million; offices in Midland, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles; and a full-time staff of "dozens" in China and more than six in America.
[10] Most of the money comes from Midland oil and gas industry donors; in relative terms, ChinaAid.org does not receive much support from the Chinese American community.
[4] The oil town was the childhood home of George W. Bush and houses many evangelical pressure groups that advocate on behalf of Christians in non-Christian countries like North Korea.
[11][12] In 2019, ChinaAid.org, represented by Bob Fu, received the Democracy Award for its Christian advocacy in promoting religious freedom in China.
The members of the group include human rights lawyers, Tibetans, Uyghurs, political activists, and underground church leaders.
Previous members of the China 18 who have been released are Lobsang Tsering, Chen Kegui, Wang Zhiwen, Gao Zhisheng, and Dhondup Wangchen.
[21] ChinaAid.org leads advocacy efforts to promote awareness and garner support for cases and issues, often partnering with other human rights or China-focused NGOs.