Chinese government sees religious freedom as a threat to loyalty to the Communist Party of China - media

The Chinese Communist Party views the right to religious freedom as a threat to its political regime. Consequently, China’s Ministry of Public Security has announced increased spending on technology and manpower to combat independent religious organizations as part of a repressive campaign that includes a crackdown on the independent Christian house church movement. This is reported by persecution.org.

“China’s public security organs have stepped up efforts to eliminate cult organizations in 2024. They are trying to curb the growth and spread of cult organizations, mitigating potential threats to national political security and maintaining social stability,” — the CCP-run Global Times reported last month.

The word “cult” in the Global Times report is xie jiao, an amorphous term apparently dating back to the Ming dynasty. It was used to refer to movements or beliefs that were considered anti-government or not in line with strict CCP principles.

In a statement on the social networking site WeChat, China’s Ministry of Public Security said it was increasing spending on technology and manpower to combat independent religious organizations as part of a crackdown that includes a crackdown on the independent Christian house church movement, an attempt to avoid government scrutiny. Yet even they are often raided and their members arrested on charges of working against state interests.