Special Report: Pastor Bob Fu, President of China Aid Association, testified before the U.S. Congressional Committee on International Religious Freedom

Remarks by Dr. Bob Fu, Founder and President of ChinaAid, for USCIRF  

Standing with the Silenced  – Leveraging the Frank Wolf Freedom of Religion or Belief Victims List 

Date: February 6, 2025 

Location: Kennedy Caucus Room, Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C. 

Dear Honorable Members of Congress, Chairman, Vice Chair of USCIRF, friends for religious freedom, 

Thank you for the opportunity to testify today on the ongoing and severe persecution of religious believers in China under the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). As a survivor of such persecution and an advocate for religious freedom, I am deeply honored to bring attention to the plight of house church Christians and other faith communities suffering under CCP rule. 

Personal Experience and Broader Context 

I stand before you as both a witness to and a survivor of the CCP’s systematic campaign to suppress religious freedom. My personal journey as a Chinese Christian has been marked by harassment, detention, and the constant threat of imprisonment. Like thousands of others, I have faced the grim reality of practicing my faith in a nation where the state seeks to control or eradicate religion. 

This suppression is not limited to house church Christians. Underground Catholics, Uyghur Muslims, Tibetan Buddhists, and others are enduring relentless persecution. The CCP’s tactics include arbitrary arrests, forced disappearances, torture, re-education camps, and the criminalization of ordinary religious activities. 

Specific Cases of Persecution 

To illustrate the severity of these abuses, I highlight the following cases: 

1. Pastor Wang Yi (Early Rain Covenant Church): Detained in Chengdu, Wang Yi was sentenced to nine years in prison for “inciting to subvert state power” and “illegal business operations.” His leadership of an unregistered church made him a primary target of CCP persecution. 
2. Sister Wang Honglan (Hohhot Church, Inner Mongolia): Arrested in 2021, Sister Wang remains detained without a verdict. Her imprisonment reflects the CCP’s use of prolonged legal limbo to suppress believers. 
3. Lawyer Gao Zhisheng: A defender of religious minorities, including house church Christians, Gao Zhisheng has been forcibly disappeared multiple times. His plight underscores the CCP’s efforts to silence advocates for religious freedom. 
4. Dr. Wang Bingzhang: A pro-democracy activist and Christian, Dr. Wang was sentenced to life imprisonment for “espionage” and “terrorism.” His case highlights the intersection of religious and political persecution. 
5. Bishop Peter Shao Zhumin (Underground Catholic Diocese, Wenzhou): Bishop Shao has faced repeated detentions for refusing to align with the CCP-controlled Catholic Patriotic Association. 
6. Uyghur Professor Ilham Tohti: A Uyghur Muslim scholar advocating for ethnic harmony, Ilham Tohti was sentenced to life imprisonment for separatism. His case is emblematic of the CCP’s campaign against Uyghur Muslims. 
7. Tibetan Entrepreneur Sonam Choedrub: A Tibetan advocate for cultural preservation and faith, Sonam was imprisoned for promoting Tibetan identity. 
8. Joshua Wong, Prof. Benny Tai, and Jimmy Lai (Hong Kong Activists): These pro-democracy leaders in Hong Kong represent the CCP’s broader suppression of civil liberties and faith-based activism, where Christianity and the fight for democracy often converge. 

Patterns of Persecution 

The CCP employs systematic methods to suppress religious freedom. These patterns include: 

1. Fabrication of Victims and False Charges: 
   Religious leaders are often accused of fraud or other fabricated crimes. For example, in the Living Stone Reformed Church case in Bengbu, churchgoer Ke Susu was falsely labeled as a victim of fraud involving Pastor Wan Changchun, Elder Xue Shaoqiang, and others. Ke denied these allegations and hired legal representation to defend the accused pastors. Similarly, in the case of the Xi’an Church of Abundance, Qin Wen was identified as a victim by authorities despite his explicit denial and efforts to clear the names of detained leaders, including pastors Lian Changnian, Lian Xuliang, and evangelist Fu Juan. 
2. Prolonged Detention and Delayed Justice: 
   Believers face long periods of detention without trial. Members of the Golden Lampstand Church in Linfen, Shanxi Province, including Yang Rongli and Wang Xiaoguang, have been detained for over three years with repeated delays in court hearings. Similarly, Christians from the Xi’an Church of Abundance, including its pastors, remain in custody after more than two years without progress in their legal proceedings. 
3. Political Sentencing of Pastors: 
   Pastors face politically motivated charges such as “inciting subversion of state power.” Pastor Wang Yi of Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu was sentenced to nine years in prison. Elder Zhang Chunlei of Guiyang Ren’ai Reformed Church was sentenced to five years on similar charges, combining political and fabricated fraud accusations. 
4. Abuse of Border Smuggling Laws: 
   The CCP has weaponized border control laws to target pastors. Pastor Shen Shaochun of the Living Water Fellowship in Huaiyuan, Bengbu, Anhui Province, was sentenced to seven years in prison under charges of “organizing smuggling across national borders.” 
5. Targeting Religious Education and Publications: 
   The CCP suppresses religious education by criminalizing Sunday schools and Christian publications. For instance, members of the Mount Carmel Church in Wuhu, Anhui Province, were charged with “illegal business operations” for running a church school. Evangelist Chen Yue Li from Hong Kong was targeted for printing Christian children’s materials in Hubei Province, while leaders of the Shunde Shengjia Church in Guangdong Province were accused of distributing “illegal publications” such as devotional materials. 
6. Internet Surveillance and Cult Accusations: 
   Online religious activities are heavily monitored and censored. Members of the Xuncheng Reformed Church in Taiyuan were punished for sharing sermons online. Christians in Xinjiang were accused of “cult crimes” for sharing testimonies on WeChat. 
7. Administrative Detention Extensions: 
   Believers like Xu Cuili and Feng Junjun from the Xuncheng Reformed Church in Taiyuan faced extended detentions, with punishments delayed and re-executed years later under the pretense of COVID-19 restrictions. 
8. Denial of Basic Human Decency: 
   Detained believers are routinely denied the right to bid farewell to dying loved ones. For instance, Elder Xue Shaoqiang of the Living Stone Reformed Church in Bengbu was not granted permission to attend his mother’s funeral. Similarly, members of the Shunde Shengjia Church were denied similar requests. 

Conclusion and Call to Action 

I urge this Committee to advocate for: 

1. The immediate release of all prisoners of conscience, including the individuals mentioned above. 
2. Strong sanctions against CCP officials responsible for these abuses through tools like the Global Magnitsky Act. 
3. Greater international pressure to uphold religious freedom and human dignity in China. 

Thank you for your attention and commitment to defending the rights of the persecuted. I am happy to answer any questions. 

Respectfully submitted, 
Dr. Bob Fu, Founder and President of ChinaAid