Report: Chinese government continues campaign to harass and imprison Christians

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has reported that China’s communist dictatorial regime continues to harass, detain and imprison Catholics and Protestants who refuse to participate in respective state-approved religious associations, CNS News reports. According to the 2021 USCIRF report, this treatment of Christians in China is part of the government’s “sinicization” effort to mix Christianity with communism.

The USCIRF report notes that, headed by dictator Xi Jinping, the Chinese government is continuing to “harass, detain, and torture underground Catholic bishops — such as Cui Tai and Huang Jintong — who refuse to join the state-backed Catholic association.”

Protestant Christians have also been targeted, the report confirmed.”[The Chinese government] also harassed, detained, arrested, and imprisoned members of Protestant house churches who refuse to join the state-sanctioned ‘Three-Self Patriotic Movement,'” the report says. “In April, authorities arrested and charged house church pastor Zhao Huaiguo for ‘inciting subversion of state power,’ and in October, local authorities in Taizhou city, Zhejiang Province, sentenced Christian bookseller Chen Yu to seven years in prison and fined him roughly $30,000 USD for ‘illegal business operations.'”

Moreover, the reporting commission said, China’s government has continued “to demolish both Catholic and Protestant church buildings and crosses” as part of its “sinicization” campaign.

The report also details China’s abuse of Uighur Muslims, which the US State Department has described as “genocide and crimes against humanity.” Calling for concerted action to be taken against China, USCIRF commissioner Gary Bauer said, “[I]n a constitutional republic like ours, public opinion is everything. I appeal to my fellow citizens to act now, individually. To U.S. corporate CEOs, stop putting your desire for greater profits in China ahead of the interests and values of our country.”

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