(U.S. — July 15, 2025) On July 8, ChinaAid and Shining Light Media LLC co-hosted the “Ten Years After the 709 Crackdown: Symposium on the Rule of Law and Religious Freedom under Xi Jinping” on U.S. Capitol Hill. The event brought together U.S. government officials, members of Congress, NGO leaders, scholars, and members of the Uyghur and Hong Kong communities to discuss China’s deteriorating rule of law and challenges to religious freedom.
The symposium was divided into two expert panels. The first, titled “709 Crackdown and China’s Rule of Law”, explored the legal and political background of the 709 mass arrest incident, examined the status of judicial independence in China, and discussed how democratic nations can more effectively support Chinese human rights defenders and promote long-term reform. The second panel, “Reflection on China’s Religious Freedom,” focused on the growing problem of religious persecution in China, strategies the international community can adopt in response, and how faith leaders can more clearly confront the religious oppression in China and surrounding regions.
Several American experts at the event pointed out that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) continues to promote the “Sinicization of religion,” resulting in harsh government persecution of religious believers across China.
Dr. Sophie Richardson, visiting scholar at Stanford University and former China Director at Human Rights Watch, stated: “Under Xi Jinping’s rule, the campaign for the ‘Sinicization of religion’ continues. Its core goal is to control and manipulate religion, not to comply with international human rights law.” She further noted that the CCP treats legitimate religious belief as a national threat: “Authorities continue to label the religious activities of specific groups or various faith communities as ‘national security threats,’ and prosecute or persecute them under the pretext of so-called ‘abnormal religious activities,’ even though these actions fall squarely within the protections of international human rights law.”
Dr. Richardson said gravely, “We have documented many people being sentenced to 5, 10, or even 15 years in prison for such actions.”
Dr. Bob Fu, President of ChinaAid, revealed at the seminar that in the past three weeks alone, 15 pastors from China’s house churches have been sentenced by the Chinese government because of their faith, one of them receiving a heavy sentence of 15 years.
Tony Perkins, former Chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) and President of the Family Research Council, proposed at the symposium that the U.S. government place religious persecution at the center of U.S.-China negotiations and link religious freedom to U.S.-China trade. He emphasized: “America must not stay silent. In every diplomatic negotiation, in every international forum, we must put China’s religious persecution on the table. If we ignore the cries of the persecuted, we betray the values we as Americans claim to uphold.”
Perkins specifically called for advocacy on behalf of persecuted Christians, saying: “There are no better citizens in the world than Christians.” He condemned the CCP’s escalating crackdown on faith communities and cited recent reports from his organization indicating that many Chinese believers face systemic threats in their daily lives, work, and education.
Perkins asserted, “The gospel is not a threat, it is hope. However, the CCP sees it as a challenge to its authority and therefore suppresses it.” He called on the U.S. government to make religious freedom a central issue in diplomatic and trade negotiations with China. “Chinese Christians are not trying to overthrow the government; they are trying to serve their neighbors, care for the vulnerable, and live out their faith.”
He also pointed out that in May, China officially enacted regulations entirely banning any missionary activity not approved by the government, meaning “evangelism itself has now been criminalized.”
Perkins concluded: “If we turn a blind eye to the voices of the persecuted, we betray the values we as Americans hold dear. We must stand with the Chinese people, not just in words, but through action and policy.”
Terence Halliday, an Honorary Fellow at the American Bar Foundation, provided an academic perspective, emphasizing that Chinese human rights lawyers, particularly Christian lawyers, view faith as the driving force behind the promotion of the rule of law and social good. He emphasized that religious groups have the potential to become a force for grassroots democracy and to serve marginalized communities. The core values of “love, forgiveness, and justice” in faiths are precisely the moral nutrients desperately needed in the political culture of modern China.
Translator’s note: There might be minor differences in direct quotes of speakers due to translation from Chinese to English.
(China Aid Association)
