Members of China's 18th National Congress, as convened in November 2012.

Expose
New regulations passed target underground churches

    The State Council of the People’s Republic of China has released a draft of a new set of religious restrictions, officially enacted in early October. The restrictions will suppress all unofficial religious activities via dispersing Christian house churches, silencing Tibetan and Xinjiang separatists and undermining the Vatican’s influence on Chinese Catholics.

    Authorities released the Revised Draft of Regulations on Religious Affairs to the public to gather opinion. The draft stopped accepting suggestions on Oct. 7, at which point the Council formally brought the document into effect.

    Proposed articles include prohibitions on “organizing citizens to attend religious trainings, conferences and activities abroad,” “preaching, organizing religious activities, and establishing religious institutions or religious sites at schools,” and “providing religious services through the internet.”

    Additionally, articles emphasize state security and precautions against secession, terrorism, and foreign powers. 

    A pastor named Zhou described the new law as: “The government wants to control everything, even the smallest aspects. One characteristic of this draft is the empowerment of local government to the communities. This revision will reduce the possibility of loose religious control in China. It will be impossible.”

    Gao Baosheng, pastor of a U.S.-based Chinese church, wrote, “the Revised Draft of Regulations on Religious Affairs is Xi Jinping’s attempt to further manage and suppress religions by taking advantage of laws. Seeing these changes in the Draft, we can tell that the government is imposing more control on major religions.”

    Gao also said he believes the government “seeking public opinion” is nothing more than formality.