A girl reads a Bible during Mass in the state-approved Xuanwumen Catholic Church in Bejing, China, Dec. 4, 2016. Photo: CNS 
China has been accused of increasing its interference in some faiths, including Christianity, in a drive to thwart ‘foreign’ religions.
According to a new report, ‘The Battle for China’s Spirit’, from Freedom House, a US-based advocacy group for political and human freedoms, China is increasingly acting against followers of Christianity and Islam while at the same time promoting faiths viewed as more in tune with the state, such as Buddhism and Taoism. The same report notes that warming relations between Beijing and the Vatican has led to a measure of optimism among China’s Catholic population.
It is to be noted that, for some observers, this growing closeness has been interpreted as representing a dangerous compromise to state rules on the part of the Vatican.
In ‘The Battle for China’s Spirit’, researchers note: “Since early 2014, local authorities have intensified efforts to stem the spread of Christianity amid official rhetoric about the threat of ‘Western’ values and the need to ‘Sinicize’ religions. Persecution of Protestants—at both unofficial and state-sanctioned churches—has especially increased, while warming relations between Beijing and the Vatican has led some Catholics to be optimistic about the faith’s future trajectory in China.”
