1. Freedom
in China
Part Two

2. Religion in China Complicated and contradictory issue
Old China was threatened by religious-based rebellions
CCP fears any organizations which promote loyalty to non-party causes

3. Religion in China
CCP fears the “political threat” from adherence to religious beliefs
Belief in God (whatever form) is potentially politically subversive

4. Religion in China
Constitutional guarantee of freedom of religion (for normal religious activities)

5. Religion in China Somewhat and depends on religion
Is there religious freedom in China?
Somewhat and depends on religion

6. Religion in China
State Administration for Religious Affairs (SARA) is government body that supervises the five “patriotic religious organizations”
Government sanctioned religions: Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Catholicism, and Protestantism
Government registers members, controls religious appointments and publications, and ensures that theology supports CCP and socialism
These official religions are accepted (with occasional problems)

7. Religion in China
Practitioners of official religions are constrained by government controls
However, such individuals are allowed to undertake the “core actions” of their particular religions
Some level of religious freedom for official religions within the constraints of the CCP/government

9. Religion in China 200 million Buddhists 25-40 million Muslims
10 million state-sanctioned Protestants
5 million state-sanctioned Catholics
50-60 million “underground” Protestants
7 million “underground” Catholics

10. Religion in China Underground Catholic and Protestant churches
Underground Catholic churches refuse to acknowledge separation from Vatican control
Underground Protestant churches refuse to obey limitations of government policies

11. Religion in China
Underground Catholic and Protestant churches maybe be tolerated or persecuted, depending on preferences of local officials
Catholic priests and Protestant ministers are currently jailed (estimates vary)
House churches periodically destroyed
Other forms of harassment

12. Religion in China
Oversimplification: it seems that underground churches are more tolerated the further they are from Beijing and other major cities

13. “In 2014 Christians and practitioners of other faiths in China experienced
the harshest persecution seen in over a decade.”

14. 2014 Only Christians Number persecuted: 17,884 (2682 Church leaders)
Number detained: (449 Church leaders)
Number sentenced 1274
Significant increase over figures for 2013
Only Christians

15. Religion in China
Tibetan Buddhism is severely restricted; Dalai Llama is banned from Tibet
Islam faces severe restrictions in Xianjing province, relatively unrestricted in other parts of China
US Commission on International Religious Freedom (2014) claims that “there are hundreds of Tibetans and Uighurs in prison for their religious activity or religious freedom advocacy, including individuals arrested in the past year.”
Over 150 self-immolations of Tibetan Buddhists since 2011

16. Falun Gong
Combination of meditation, breathing and slow movement exercise with spiritual principles
70 million adherents (at one time)

17. Falun Gong No evidence of any political agenda
Brutal crackdown on Falun Gong adherents following protests in 1999
Jiang Zemin regime labels Falun Gong as a dangerous cult and not a religion, so freedom of religion does not apply
Create special 610 agency within CCP to organize brutal crackdown on Falun Gong

18. Falun Gong
100,000 (or more) Falun Gong practitioners jailed or sent to reeducation camps
Stories of torture and organ-donation-based killings of Falun Gong prisoners
Official organization has confirmed 3859 deaths since 1999 (estimates are deaths in tens of thousands)
Whatever the numbers, no doubt that this is the most persecuted religious group in China
No relaxation in persecution in last eighteen years

19. Xi Jinping and Religion
Xi regime has intensified crackdown on “underground religions”
Increase in demolitions of house churches and detention of religious practitioners
Evidence of somewhat more pressure on state-sanctioned churches

20. “Political Prisoners” in China
Political Prisoner Database of Congressional-Executive Commission on China
1327 known cases of political or religious imprisonment as of October 2015
The CECC “notes that there are considerably more than 1327 cases” (just cases they have documented)

21. Chinese Dissidents
A very small number ( or so) of writers, artists, journalists, professors, and others who have openly criticized the CCP/government through various means
More than 2000 individuals signed Charter 08 document
Harassed, detained, expelled, jailed, tortured (a few have died in custody under strange circumstances)

22. Chinese Dissidents
A number of Tiananmen student protestors have fled the country or been exiled and are forbidden from returning to China
“Outside dissidents” who can more forcefully support issues of democratization in China
Most “writings” not available to citizens of China

23. Chinese Dissidents
Dissidents have minimal influence on issues of political reform in China
Unknown or disapproved by most Chinese citizens

24. Liu Xiaobo
Participated in Tiananmen Uprising as professor, served two year prison term
Later served three years in labor camp

25. Liu Xiaobo
Called for government to uphold Constitution’s pledge of freedom of speech, press and assembly
In 2008, Liu was a co-author of Charter 08, a manifesto which advocated the gradual adoption of democracy for China
Sentenced to eleven years in prison for “undermining state authority” in 2009

26. Liu Xiaobo
Received Nobel Peace Prize in 2010, while in prison, “for his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China”
International movement to free him, but remained in jail

27. Liu Xiaobo
Released on medical parole on June 7, 2017 due to terminal liver cancer
Died in hospital on July 13, 2017

28. Ai Weiwei
Artist and activist who helped design Beijing National Stadium for 2008 Olympics
Prominent blogger critical of many aspects of Chinese society
Artistic projects to challenge one-party state
Detained for 81 days in 2011 for “tax evasion”
Many believed he was “untouchable” because of world fame

29. Ai Weiwei
Under strict surveillance and prevented from leaving country until 2016
Received Amnesty International Ambassador of Conscience Award in 2015 but not allowed to attend
Several documentaries about his actions and struggles

30. Xu Zhiyong
University lecturer and lawyer who started New Citizens Movement, organization to promote civil rights and constitutionalism in China
Arrested and sentenced to four years in prison in 2014 for “gathering crowds to disrupt public order”

31. Gao Yu Chinese journalist since 1979
Won numerous international awards for journalism
Imprisoned for 15 months in 1989, imprisoned for six years in 1993
Convicted of leaking state secrets and sentenced to seven years in 2015; reduced to house arrest in 2016

32. Is China moving toward the adoption of democracy?

33. Despite democratic rhetoric, the CCP has made it quite clear that it has no intention of moving toward any version of a multi-party democracy

34. New leader Xi Jinping has focused on anti-corruption drive and strengthening the overall position of the CCP
Xi almost never uses democratic rhetoric in speeches

35. With few exceptions (dissidents), Chinese citizens do not seem to be clamoring for Western-style democracy

36. Pew Research Center survey in China, based on face-to-face interviews conducted in Spring 2015, among a nationally representative sample of 3,649 randomly selected adults

40. Political Scientist Jie Chen conducted survey of “middle class” China in period 2007-08
Chen classifies 24% of China as middle class based on occupation

41. Political science “theory” that pressure for democratization is most likely to come from an emerging middle class (as in many other countries)

42. China’s middle class advocates individual rights such as the right to work, right to education, right to live anywhere, right to travel abroad, unconstrained access to public information, religious liberty and freedom of conscience

43. However, China’s middle class is not supportive of political mobilization such as demonstrations and establishment of organizations outside the government
Middle class also showed relatively less support for participation in government’s decision making processes and for multiparty competitive election of government leaders

44. Middle class also shows a high level of support for the CCP and for the specific policies implemented by the Party

45. “Overall, while this new middle class likes to have its individual rights protected, it does not seem to be eager to support and participate in political change toward a democratic system.”

46. Whatever minor progress China has made toward limited democratization in the last few decades, it seems highly unlikely that such progress will continue under the Xi Jinping regime. If anything, Xi seems to be moving China in a more politically authoritarian direction. Political Scientist David Shambaugh describes it as “hard authoritarianism.”

47. The End