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China’s communist dictator Xi Jinping has tightened his grip on religious activity in the world’s second most populous country, as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) announced last week that starting 1 May, foreign missionaries will be prohibited from sharing their faith or preaching, as well as establishing religious organisations.

As reported by International Christian Concern,

“Chinese state media claimed that the newly revised rules promote national security — a common justification for CCP persecution of religion — and help to protect ‘normal religious activities,’ referring to activities run under strict government oversight as part of state-run religious institutions.”

The restrictions apply to all religions and prohibit “non-Chinese citizens residing in the country from establishing religious organisations, preaching without authorisation, founding religious schools, producing or selling religious books, accepting religious donations, or recruiting Chinese citizens as religious followers.” They further stipulate that any foreign clergy entering China may only preach if invited to by a state-run religious organisation, and that all content must not “interfere with China’s religious affairs” and must be pre-approved.

State Control

This latest crackdown on independent religious groups is part of a larger pattern of religious persecution under Xi’s regime. China’s state-run media outlet, The Global Times, recently boasted,

“China’s public security authorities intensified efforts to dismantle cult organisations in 2024. They have worked to curb the growth and spread of cult organisations, mitigating potential threats to national political security and maintaining social stability.”

Xi’s campaign against religious freedom largely began in 2016, when he declared that he wanted to “Sinicise” all religion in China. This effort has led to the CCP officially recognising only a handful of religions and triggered the rise of state-run institutions like the protestant Three Self Church and the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association.

In response, the underground “house church” movement of believers who wish to worship free from government oversight has grown significantly — but so has the government crackdown on the movement. Raids of churches by police have become commonplace.

Arielle Del Turco, director of the Center for Religious Liberty at Family Research Council, expressed grave concern over the new restrictions on religious practice.

“The Chinese government is openly announcing it is cracking down even further on missionaries trying to serve the Chinese people,” she told The Washington Stand. “Now new regulations will officially ban foreigners from preaching or even just sharing their faith. This will make it much more dangerous for Christians — especially those in ministry — who seek to travel to China.”

Del Turco continued,

“It should be straight-up embarrassing for the Chinese government to classify this as a ‘national security’ issue. Chinese national security isn’t threatened by foreign missionaries — it’s threatened by their leaders, who are becoming increasingly closed off to and hostile towards other countries. Banning missionaries will harm China’s relations with other countries further, and that’s a shame.”

Del Turco concluded by encouraging the Trump administration to keep close tabs on the situation due to the dangers the restrictions may pose to American citizens. “The U.S. government should take particular note of this development,” she emphasised. “It will likely affect U.S. citizens who might simply share their faith on a short visit to China. U.S. leaders should condemn this move and more closely monitor religious freedom conditions in China.”