The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is once again tightening its grip on religious freedom. On April 1, the National Religious Affairs Administration (NRAA) announced a new set of rules governing foreign religious activity within China. These regulations—another step in President Xi Jinping’s aggressive campaign to “Sinicize” religion—are set to take effect on May 1.
Under the new rules, all foreign religious activity must conform to Chinese laws and CCP ideology. Participants are required to “uphold the principle of religious independence and self-management” and submit to heavy government oversight. Foreign worship will only be allowed at CCP-approved sites like state-sanctioned churches, mosques, or Buddhist temples—or at temporary venues that receive special authorization from local authorities.
“This is essentially a formalization of what’s already been happening informally for years,” said a Christian source inside China.
This latest move builds on a wave of repression that began in 2015 under Xi. Since launching his Sinicization agenda, Chinese authorities have removed crosses from churches, installed surveillance cameras in places of worship, required portraits of Xi inside religious buildings, and even censored sacred texts.
The new regulations add yet more red tape. Each foreign group must now designate three “organizers”—individuals who will act as liaisons with the government. These organizers must legally reside in China, have no criminal record, lack diplomatic immunity, and be held personally accountable. “In short, these Muslim, Buddhist, and Christian groups are being told to be visible, easily identifiable, and to strictly follow the Chinese legal framework,” the same source explained.
The rules prohibit any foreign religious leader or group from making “hostile remarks about China,” promoting “extreme ideological views,” or “interfering in domestic religious matters” (Article 21). Foreign clergy must be officially approved by the NRAA and may only minister to other foreigners. Chinese citizens are largely barred from participating.
“There’s no such thing as a ‘missionary’ in China,” a source noted. “There are authorized foreign religious workers — but only for serving foreign communities. And they must also hold another official job.”
Foreigners are even limited in how much religious material they can bring into the country—no more than 10 copies of books or audiovisual content for personal use. Article 29 also outlaws “unauthorized conferences,” evangelizing to Chinese nationals, or distributing religious publications.
“It’s all part of the same old hyper-bureaucratic approach,” the source added. “They’re just spelling things out in even more detail now — to make life harder.”
