Politburo Study Session Calls for Uniting Religious Communities Around Party

At a Politburo study session held December 18, Chinese President and Communist Party General Secretary Hu Jintao reaffirmed the Party's policies for controlling religion and called on religious communities to play a "positive role" in promoting state goals and to "closely unite" around the Party. Hu's statements, which outlined direction for carrying forward Party policy on religion, also continued a trend in mentioning a "positive role" for religious communities at high levels of the Communist Party. According to a description of the study session posted December 20 on the Web site of the State Administration for Religious Affairs (SARA), Hu called for "closely uniting religious personages and the religious masses around the Party and government" and outlined three "requirements" for carrying out the Party's work on religion under what he described as "new historic conditions":

1. Continuing the Party's Basic Policy on Religion. Hu described this requirement to involve "bringing into play the positive role of religious personages and the religious masses in the promotion of economic and social development." He also called for upholding the state's policies on "freedom of religious belief"; the administration of religious affairs in accordance with law; independence and self-governance; and the guiding of religion's adaptation to socialist society. In addition, he emphasized encouraging religious communities in their cultivation of a "love of country and love of religion," the promotion of unity, and their "fine traditions of serving society," as well as supporting them in making contributions to "ethnic unity, economic development, social harmony, and unification of the motherland."
2. Strengthening Work Regarding the "Religious Masses." Hu stressed uniting religious adherents and using their "wisdom and strengths" in building a healthy society and accelerating "socialist modernization." Hu also called for gaining religious communities' consensus on issues including support for Communist Party leadership and the socialist system, an "ardent love of country," defending China's unification, and promoting social harmony. In addition, Hu stressed "sincerely caring" about religious adherents and aiding those living in hardship, to let them experience the "loving care" and "warmth" of the Party and government.
3. Strengthening Construction of the Ranks of Religious Personnel. Hu emphasized the importance of building a contingent of religious personnel with political reliability, academic attainments, and appropriate morals. In addition, he called for supporting the role of the state-controlled "patriotic religious associations" in charge of China's registered religious communities and for guiding the associations in their work.

The study session, which according to a Chinese academic cited in a December 20 South China Morning Post article (subscription required) was the first of its kind as a topic for such a Politburo session, followed an address by Hu on October 15 at the 17th Party Congress, in which he similarly called for promoting religious communities' "positive role" in economic and social development. In that speech, Hu also mentioned the importance of promoting harmony in religious relations and of carrying out the Party's basic policy on religion. At the October Congress, the Communist Party also amended the Communist Party Constitution to include mention of religion for the first time, adding language that calls on the Party to "fully implement" its basic policy toward work on religious affairs and to unite religious adherents "in making contributions to economic and social development." For more information, see the texts of Hu's speech (English, Chinese) and the amended Constitution (English, Chinese) on the China Internet Information Center Web site, as well as an October 21 article from Xinhua. Prior to the October Congress, other high-level officials also had stated that aspects of religion could take on a "positive role" in promoting state goals. For example, in August 2006 SARA director Ye Xiaowen dedicated an article in the official Party journal Seeking Truth (via Open Source Center, subscription required, and the Chinese Communist Party News Web site) to the topic of "bringing into play the positive role of religion in promoting social harmony."

Whether Hu's October and December statements will translate into improvements in religious freedom for Chinese citizens remains unclear. Although the statements articulated a "positive role" for religious communities within China, the December Politburo session reiterated the Party's fundamental positions on religion, including its policy of granting citizens only "freedom of religious belief" rather than "freedom of religion." As noted in the Congressional-Executive Commission on China 2007 Annual Report (via the Government Printing Office Web site), "freedom of religion" as defined in international human rights standards includes not only the freedom to believe in a religion but also the freedom to manifest that belief. Chinese laws and policies permit only "normal religious activities" and do not define this term in a manner to provide meaningful protection to all aspects of religious practice.

In addition, the Chinese government applies its framework for freedom of religious belief only to members of recognized religious communities organized under the patriotic religious associations. In addition, it is unclear whether statements from the study session that recognize a "positive role" for religious communities reflect a degree of accommodation, an effort to better co-opt religious communities and subject them to tighter state control, or some measure of both. Past statements from state officials have couched measures to control religious groups and their internal religious doctrine in terms of accommodating religious communities. For example, in a July 2006 interview, SARA Director Ye Xiaowen called for helping religious communities integrate into society but stressed achieving this goal by having the state direct religious leaders in their interpretations of religious tenets to "convey positive and beneficial contents to worshippers" in line with state goals.

For more information on religion in China, see Section II--Freedom of Religion in the CECC 2007 Annual Report.