MAC blasts China's religious policies

This article was published by the Taiwan Headlines on May 26, 2006. It reports that according to the Mainland Affairs Council, Taiwan should disclose to the world the facts about Beijing's suppression of religious freedom. Taiwan should also cooperate with international human rights organizations to enhance religious freedom in China.

According to the Mainland Affairs Council, under intense international pressure over the recent years, China has adjusted its religious management policy and regulations. However, it has not relaxed its interference in, and control over, religious affairs.

U.S. President George W. Bush visited a church in China in 2005. He also received Christian representatives from China soon after Chinese President Hu Jintao's visit to the United States in 2006. Both of these events are seen as showing Washington's displeasure and concern about the status of religious development in China.

Since the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949, Beijing has advocated atheism and adopted a hostile attitude toward religion. At present, all five major religions in China are affiliated to various association under the Chinese government and subject to supervision by the State Bureau of Religious Affairs and the Chinese Communist Party's United Front Work Department. Any religious activities that do not belong to any of these associations are considered unlawful by the Beijing authorities.

In the face of international criticism against the lack of religious freedom in China, Beijing has attempted to improve its image by creating a false impression of religious freedom. Its tactics included the implementation of an amended religious affairs law in March 2005; the release of a white paper on domestic democratic politics in October 2005, in which religious beliefs were said to be protected by law; and the launch of a web site in December 2005 to publicize religious affairs in China.

However, according to the Mainland Affairs Council, Beijing's claim that it allows religious freedom actually contradicts its suppression of religious activities. For example, any Christian organizations in China that are not a member of the "patriotic churches" are viewed as foreign conspiracy groups. Beijing has cracked down on various religious activities under the pretext of suppressing superstitious beliefs or cults, with Falun Gong a particular target.

On the other hand, on cross-strait religious matters, Beijing has taken an entirely different attitude in dealing with Buddhist, Taoist and Christian exchange activities. According to the Mainland Affairs Council, Beijing is active in promoting cross-strait Buddhist and Taoist exchanges because it thinks such exchanges are helpful to realizing its goal of unification. However, Beijing does not welcome cross-strait Catholic or Protestant exchanges for fear that foreign forces will make their way into China.