China has released an American pastor jailed in the country since 2006, the US State Department confirmed on Sunday.

David Lin, 68, from Orange County in California has “returned to the United States and now gets to see his family for the first time in nearly 20 years”, a department spokesperson said.

His release came shortly after US national security adviser Jake Sullivan met with Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi.

Washington had been urging Beijing for Mr Lin’s release for years, claiming that he had been wrongfully held.

Mr Lin’s family had long advocated for his release. “No words can express the joy we have,” his daughter Alice Lin was quoted as saying by Politico. “We have a lot of time to make up for.”

“I know that Jake Sullivan did raise my dad’s case,” she said.

Mr Lin was questioned by Chinese authorities in 2006 when he reportedly tried to open a Christian training centre in Beijing. He was barred from leaving the country and later detained.

He was charged with contract fraud under vague circumstances, according to the Washington Post, and sentenced to life in prison in 2009. Mr Lin denied the charges.

He received several sentence reductions over the years and was scheduled for release in 2029.

Several US politicians voiced their support for Mr Lin and urged the release of other Americans detained overseas.

“I am extremely glad to hear David Lin was freed,” Rep Michael McCaul (R-Tex) posted on social media on Sunday.

“His capture, like so many others, marks a rising trend of hostage diplomacy by authoritarians around the world.”

Mr Lin’s release came just ahead of a Congressional hearing on detained Americans in China.

Mr Lin’s case was frequently mentioned alongside the imprisonment of American businessman Mark Swidan and Kai Li in China.

Both Mr Swidan and Mr Lai remain imprisoned and are considered by the US to have been wrongfully detained.