State Administration for Religious Affairs Outlines Restrictive Religious Policies for 2011

On January 24, 2011, China's State Administration for Religious Affairs (SARA) released a document (available in Chinese via the SARA Web site) that outlines policies for SARA's work in supervising and managing China's religious communities in 2011. The document calls for a number of measures that would continue to restrict freedom of religion for Chinese citizens and further submit religious communities to the supervision and control of the Party and government. The document lists among its goals "to comprehensively implement the Party's basic policy on religion" and "to deeply implement the Regulation on Religious Affairs" (as discussed in the CECC 2010 Annual Report, pages 99-100, the Regulation on Religious Affairs contains provisions that restrict the religious freedom of China's state-sanctioned religious communities and condition some legal protections on government oversight or approval). The document also lists among its goals "to create a good social environment in order to implement the targets and tasks of [China's] 12th Five-Year Plan" (available in Chinese via Xinhua). The 12th Five-Year Plan directly addresses religious policy once and ties it to economic development by calling on authorities to "exhibit" the "positive role" of religious communities in "promoting economic and social development." In addition, an October 25, 2010, article in the People's Daily―the official news media of the Party―describes economic development as the "main line" of the 12th Five-Year Plan.

"Guiding" Unregistered Protestants To Worship in State-Controlled Churches

The document calls on authorities to "guide" Protestants who "participate in activities at unauthorized gathering places" (sometimes called "house churches") to worship in state-controlled churches. As a January 24, 2011, Xinhua report (in English) notes, SARA does not specify how it will "guide" Protestants to registered venues of worship, but in some cases, authorities have harassed, intimidated, detained, or imprisoned Protestants in China who do not worship in state-controlled churches, and a report on SARA's religious work in 2010 (available in Chinese via the SARA Web site) notes that authorities "guided" unregistered Protestants to worship in registered churches in 2010. In particular, authorities appear to have increased pressure on unregistered Protestants in China since Liu Xiaobo was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in December 2010 (see a related CECC analysis on the harassment and detention of legal scholar and religious freedom advocate Fan Yafeng).

International Religious Exchanges

The document also calls on authorities to promote international religious exchanges, but the government continues to take steps to prevent interactions between Chinese and foreign religious communities that do not conform to government and Party policy. For example, in December 2010, Chinese authorities harassed, detained, or prevented from leaving the country approximately 200 Protestants in China who received invitations to attend an international conference on evangelization in South Africa. China reportedly warned members of unregistered church communities not to attend the Lausanne Congress because their attendance would "endanger state security" (see a related CECC analysis for more information). The SARA document calls for "helping" the state-controlled Islamic Association of China (IAC) strengthen its management of overseas pilgrimages. Authorities in China allow Muslims to undertake overseas pilgrimages only under the auspices of the IAC, which imposes political requirements on participants (see pages 105-107 of the CECC 2010 Annual Report and pages 126-127 and 130 of the CECC 2009 Annual Report for more information). The SARA document also calls on authorities to "strengthen the management of collective religious events by foreigners within [China's] borders and resist foreign forces using religion to conduct infiltration activities [against China]." In January 2011, SARA director Wang Zuo'an reportedly linked efforts to promote international religious exchanges in 2011 with "expand[ing] the influence of [China's] concept of religious harmony" (Xinhua, 10 January 11, in Chinese), highlighting the politicized aspects of such proposed exchanges.

The Relationship Between Catholics in China and the Holy See

The SARA document also continues to call for the promotion of "independence" for Catholics in China and for the "autonomous" selection and ordination of bishops in China. Under the principle of the "independent, autonomous, self-managing church"―enshrined in the Charters of the Catholic Patriotic Association (Art. 3, available in Chinese via the SARA Web site) and the Bishops' Conference of the Catholic Church in China (Art. 3, available in Chinese via the SARA Web site)―the Chinese government denies Catholics in China the freedom to recognize the authority of the Holy See to select bishops in China. The Catholic Patriotic Association (CPA) makes all bishop appointments in China, although in some cases the CPA has tolerated approval from the Holy See for bishops also approved by the CPA (see pages 101-102 of the CECC 2010 Annual Report for more information on China's policies regarding bishop appointments). According to international media reports, in November 2010, authorities ordained bishop Guo Jincai, who did not have the approval of the Holy See, and forced some bishops to attend the ordination ceremony against their will; in December 2010, authorities then reportedly forced some bishops to attend the eighth National Conference of Chinese Catholic Representatives in Beijing against their will (see a related CECC analysis for more information).

Tibetan Buddhist Temples

In addition, the SARA document calls on authorities to "seriously implement the Management Measures for Tibetan Buddhist Monasteries" (National Measures), which, if implemented as stipulated, would establish greater and more detailed control over what the government refers to as "Tibetan Buddhist affairs" (see a related CECC analysis for more information).

For more information about conditions for China's religious communities, see Section II―Freedom of Religion in the CECC 2010 Annual Report.