China’s religious groups brace for tighter scrutiny closer to home
State Council backs new rules allowing lower-level authorities to keep an eye on faith communities
Members and organisers of China’s religious communities will face closer scrutiny from lower-level governments and hefty fines for unsanctioned activities with ramped-up regulations to come into effect early next year.
The government will also tighten up control over religious activities in schools, religious postings online, and trips overseas for religious training.
After a delay of more than a year, the State Council, China’s cabinet, endorsed revisions to the 2005 Regulation on Religious Affairs on Thursday, ushering in sweeping controls designed to “eradicate extremism”.
The changes apply across the spectrum, from Christianity to Buddhism and Islam, and come amid a high-profile push to “sinocise” foreign religious traditions in China.
While the regulation applies to all religions, it is expected to hit the burgeoning unsanctioned Protestant “house” churches hardest when it comes into effect in February.
Professor Yang Fengguang from Purdue University said the changes would affect all religions but the house churches “are the big elephant in the room”.
