International summit highlights religious freedom challenges in China

China Aid founder Bob Fu on Monday said Christians in China are experiencing the worst persecution since the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s. Fu spoke during the second International Religious Freedom Summit Asia in Tokyo where more than a dozen speakers discussed freedom of belief throughout the region. Christian persecution is increasing throughout Asia, Pastor Andrew Brunson said at the IRF summit. He and his wife lived in Turkey for more than 20 years before police in 2016 arrested him and charged him with being involved with an armed terrorist organization. He remained in prison until October 2018 when he was released and returned to the United States.

What is China’s official position on religious freedom? The ruling Chinese Communist Party forbids its members from joining any religion. But the country’s constitution since 1982 has said that Chinese citizens enjoy freedom of religious beliefs, according to the Pew Research Center.

Who else spoke during the summit? A recorded speech by President of Taiwan Lai Ching Te was played at the meeting. In the message, he touted Taiwan’s record of promoting religious freedom and held up his country as an example in the region. Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also attended the two-day gathering and spoke about the geopolitical importance of religious freedom. He also accused Beijing of rolling back civil liberties in Hong Kong.

Ambassador for the IRF Sam Brownback said that China is committing three genocides—against Tibetan Buddhists, Uyghur Muslims, and Falun Gong practitioners. Representative Arya Tsewang Gyalpo of the Dalai Lama’s office urged democratic nations to support Tibet and call for religious and cultural freedom in the autonomous region within China.

Dig deeper: Listen to Myrna Brown’s report on The World and Everything in It about India’s political and religious shift.