State-Controlled Religion in China

Oct 16

WHEN:

Oct 16th 10:30am

U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom Hearing

State-Controlled Religion in China

Thursday, October 16, 2025
10:30AM – 12:00PM EST
Virtual

 

Hearing Transcript
Hearing Summary
 

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) held a hearing on state-controlled religion in China.

Religious groups in China must conform to the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) political ideology and submit to the state’s intrusive system of control to legally engage in religious activities. State-controlled organizations manage the affairs of religious communities affiliated with the five government-recognized religions—Buddhism, Catholicism, Islam, Protestantism, and Taoism—and enforce a vast web of repressive laws, regulations, and policies that do not conform to international human rights standards. The state’s coercive “sinicization of religion” policy has become the core driving principle of the government’s management of religious affairs over the last decade and has resulted in gross violations of religious freedom, including genocide, crimes against humanity, mass incarceration, enforced disappearances, and the destruction of cultural and religious heritage. In its 2025 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended that the U.S. Department of State designate China as a Country of Particular Concern for particularly severe violations of religious freedom.

Witnesses discussed religious freedom conditions in China. They also shared recommendations for the U.S. government to support freedom of religion or belief in China.

Opening Remarks

  • Vicky Hartzler, USCIRF Chair
  • Asif Mahmood, USCIRF Vice Chair 
    Written Remarks

Congressional Remarks

Panel

  • Robert A. Destro, Professor of Law, The Catholic University of America; former Assistant Secretary of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor and U.S. Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues, U.S. Department of State
    Written Testimony
  • Rushan Abbas, Founder and Executive Director, Campaign for Uyghurs; Chairwoman of the Executive Committee of the World Uyghur Congress
    Written Testimony
  • Norgay Tenzin, Research Analyst, International Campaign for Tibet
    Written Testimony
  • Corey Jackson, Founder and President, Luke Alliance
    Written Testimony
  • Annie Wilcox Boyajian, President and Mark Palmer Distinguished Fellow, Freedom House 
    Written Testimony

Submitted for the Record

Statement from the family of Pastor "Ezra" Mingri Jin of Zion Church in China

Statement from Falun Dafa Info Center

This hearing was open to Members of Congress, congressional staff, the public, and the media. The video recording of the hearing will be posted on the Commission website. For any additional questions or to schedule an interview, please email [email protected]