SW News: The Chinese Communist Party stepped up its persecution of churches and Christians across mainland China prior to the 20th Party Congress in 2022, according to the human rights watchdog group ChinaAid.

More house church leaders have been accused of fraud and online religious content was subject to stricter censorship. The US-based group, which tracks religious intolerance in China and aids political detainees, published its 2022 annual report on persecution.

The Christian non-profit human rights organization said the Chinese government also imposed stringent guidelines banning the publication of religious materials online, with the intention of removing Christianity from cyberspace.
ChinaAid’s president and founder Bob Fu commented on the highlights of the report: “By using the new measures against religious content online and the infamous zero-COVID policy, authorities limited or eliminated Christian gatherings. By using fraudulent charges, the Chinese government financially suffocated the house church movement. We are gravely concerned about how the Communist Regime also treats the state-sanctioned church. Previously, they asked for sole allegiance to the Communist Party, but since the 20th National Party Congress, they shifted their emphasis to aligning with Xi Jinping. Their goal is not only to curate a socialist-friendly church; they hope to erase it. The international community needs to know about these trends and developments as China continues to rise on the global stage.”

Throughout 2022, the Chinese government and relevant departments banned many Christian house churches and organizations. On April 21, Dalian Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau in Liaoning province issued a public notice to ban Anshanghong Church. On May 30, Jiangxi province’s Hukou County Civil Affairs Bureau issued a notice to ban Hukou County Jiaxiang Church. On July 11, Tongguan District Civil Affairs Bureau of Anhui province issued a public notice to ban some church-affiliated Christian groups, including Aideyuan Fellowship, Christian Professionals Fellowship, and Mu’en’ge. On August 19, Shaanxi province’s Xi’an Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau issued a public notice to ban Xi’an Church of Abundance. On September 26, Fujian province’s Putian Municipal Civil Affairs Burau issued a notice to ban Berea Church.

ChinaAid reported other cases also in great detail wherein provincial and local governments arbitrarily detained Chinese Christian leaders and believers from all over China. Prison authorities denied many of these prisoners’ attorney visits or contact with family. In some cases, they were denied medical treatment and received harsh sentences disproportionate to their alleged crime. Other Christians were detained for long periods before their trials or their cases were postponed several times.

Police and authorities arrested individuals without notifying families of their whereabouts. In some cases, the charges are unknown, leaving the families of prisoners in the dark.