Welcome to China Voices, a quarterly update on freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) in China produced by CSW.
This update is based on research and opinion from reliable sources* with first-hand information. As media coverage of China issues intensifies, and it becomes increasingly difficult for journalists and others to travel to the country, we want to ensure that the voices and views of the people most affected by FoRB restrictions are at the centre of the conversation.
For feedback, further information or recommendations for action, please reply and let me know or contact
This update covers January to March 2021.
The beginning of 2021 showed no sign of alleviation in violations against religious communities in China: In Hunan province, a Christian spent New Year’s Day in a detention centre in Hunan province, as punishment for his street evangelism; in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), Muslim minorities were reportedly forced to celebrate Chinese New Year.
On 4 January 2021, the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the State Council announced measures to ‘push forward rural vitalisation and accelerate the modernisation of agriculture and the countryside’. This included ‘increasing efforts to combat illegal religious activities and overseas infiltration activities in rural areas and stop the use of religion to interfere with public affairs in rural areas in accordance with the law’. These measures have signalled a new wave of oppression of religious communities across China.
Click to download the China Voices Quarterly of Q1, 2021 (in English and Chinese).
