SW News: An eastern Chinese city compelled kindergarten parents to sign a declaration stating they are not religious as part of yet another crackdown on freedom of religion.

According to the human rights organization China Aid, guardians of children attending schools in Wenzhou, a city in the Zhejiang province, had to sign a pledge form of commitment for families not to possess a religious belief.

The parents declare that they do not have any religious beliefs, do not engage in any religious activities, and do not propagate and disseminate religion in any setting.

It compels students to pledge compliance with the Chinese Communist Party and never join any Falun Gong or other cults. Falun Gong is a religious movement established in China in the 1990s that openly criticizes the Chinese Communist Party.

According to ChinaAid, the directive was issued by members of the Chinese Communist Party in Wenzhou's Longwan area. The population of the district is around 750,000. Around 10% of the population of the city is Christian, and their number has increased during the previous 10 years. Compared to the national average, which is fewer than 1% of Christians, this is significantly higher.

Christians have experienced a variety of forms of persecution in Wenzhou.

In 2017, the city outlawed youngsters from participating in religious activities and attending religious rituals. The city barred teachers, hospital staff, and other city personnel from having religious convictions the following year.

In 2018, the Vatican and the Chinese Communist Party reached an agreement, but much of it is still under wraps. By allowing the Chinese Communist Party to have a bigger say in the choice of bishops, the agreement was intended to bring the underground Catholic Church in China together with the more open Catholic Church. This ultimately culminated in crackdowns on Catholics in underground churches, which led to the detention or arrest of priests, bishops, and even cardinals.

Cardinal Joseph Zen, who was detained for his assistance in running the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund to assist Hong Kong residents who opposed the Chinese Communist Party, is one of the most vocal opponents of the Chinese Communist Party's persecution of Catholics.