Keep religious freedom, guard it from foreign interference

By Zhang Yi Source:Global Times Published: 2015-5-22 0:13:01

In a speech by Chinese President Xi Jinping at a high-level conference on the united front work Wednesday, he stressed that the development of religion in China should be independent of foreign influence.

Xi promised to fully implement the Party's policy of religious freedom and manage religious affairs in line with the law.

China encourages a variety of religions and their spread. Nowadays,  freedom of religion is guaranteed under China's constitution, and the number of believers of all religions has been increasing.

In particular, Christian congregations have expanded since churches began reopening after the Cultural Revolution. The official number of Christians in China is estimated at about 25 million.

The development of religion in China is accompanied by the overall advancement of society. But like other aspects of social life, religious followers should stick to the rule of law.

Reportedly, there are some believers attending underground "house churches" which are not recognized or approved by authorities.

Yet officials often adopt a tolerant attitude toward such activities to avoid conflicts between religion and authorities.

Religion can be easily used by hostile external forces, especially among separatists in Tibet and Xinjiang autonomous regions, to infiltrate Chinese society, and that may impact the stability of the country.

The Dalai Lama has been plotting to seek "Tibetan independence" through urging foreign forces to press the Chinese government. In recent years, he relentlessly made international appearances with the malicious intention to embarrass, contain or even break up China.

Meanwhile, the East Turkestan forces inside and outside China's western Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region have tried to incite ethnic groups which speak the Turkic language and believe in Islam to put their separatist theories into practice, threatening the stability of the country's western border areas.

This has imposed pressure on China's governance. Political fights mingled with religious approaches will bring a negative impact on religions themselves.

Those who hold prejudice against China's political system often have twisted feelings toward the development of religion in the country. But religions are not a tool for them to challenge authorities, and any demands by believers must be made through legal means.



Posted in: Observer

blog comments powered by Disqus