ChinaAid, a Christian nonprofit human rights organization, recently released its annual report, which details how Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials continue to persecute religious groups.
According to the report, released on Feb. 13, the Chinese government used a variety of tactics to persecute churches and Christians in 2022, including interrupting regular church activities, forcibly demolishing church buildings and meeting places, outlawing and shutting down churches and Christian organizations, raiding church meeting places and interfering with gatherings, harassing baptisms, abusing jailed church leaders, prohibiting evangelism and fabricating criminal charges to detain, arrest and sentence leaders and other Christians.
In addition, the report said that "the censorship of internet religious information will be carried out in due course,” adding that "agencies that handle internet licenses are required to hire at least one full-time religious information auditor to conduct political audits of religious information shared on the internet. The examination and training personnel of these auditors must have authenticated identification and be students of religious schools or religious clergy officially registered with the government."
Other examples of measures taken to suppress Christianity in China have included authorities blowing up a Beihan Catholic Church on Aug. 25 in Shanxi province’s capital city Taiyuan and raiding the Sunshine Reformed Church in Jilin province on Aug. 21 during its Sunday worship, at which point Pastor Guo Muyun was pushed into a police vehicle and church member Zhang Liangliang was pinned to the ground. In addition, on Sept. 10, several members of Shenzhen-based Trinity Harvest Gospel Church were attacked with rocks while holding baptisms on a beach in Shenzhen’s Dapeng District, the report said.
Wang Yang, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CCP's Central Committee and chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, said that religious groups should unite the majority of adherents around the CCP and government to forge a “positive energy” to help realize the “Chinese Dream.” He also said that religion should adhere to the orientation of the "core socialist values," submerging all religious beliefs in Chinese culture to better adapt religion to China’s socialist society.
The Christian Post reported that China only recognizes five religious groups, all of which submit to the government's influence. Those who are not part of those five groups or members of unregistered churches bear the brunt of the persecution.
"We are gravely concerned about how the Communist Regime also treats the state-sanctioned church," Bob Fu, ChinaAid president and founder, said. "Previously, they asked for sole allegiance to the Communist Party, but since the 20th National Party Congress, they shifted their emphasis to aligning with (President) Xi Jinping.
"Their goal is not only to curate a 'socialist-friendly' church; they hope to erase it," Fu said.