Tag: China

German ambassador makes rare criticism of China over religious freedom

June 28, 2017 China Beijing, Catholics, China, Churches, Crosses, Education, House churches, Peter Shao Zhumin, Religious freedom, Wenzhou, Zhejiang

The German ambassador to China has made an official request that the Beijing government release Peter Shao Zhumin, the bishop of Wenzhou, reports Asia News. It is thought to be the first request of this kind made to China in 10 years. In his official statement on his embassy’s website . . . Read More

Pakistan expels South Korean for ‘illegal preaching’ after murder of Chinese ‘missionaries’

June 21, 2017 Pakistan Balochistan, China, Islamic State, Lee Zingyang, Meng Lisi, Quetta, South Korea

Pakistan has ordered a South Korean man to leave the country, accusing him of involvement in “illegal preaching activities”, after two of his students at an Urdu-language school were abducted and killed by the Islamic State group, which claimed they had been secretly preaching Christianity. “Investigations have revealed that [Juan . . . Read More

South Korea denies claims Chinese nationals killed in Pakistan were missionaries

June 15, 2017 Pakistan Balochistan, China, Islamic State, Lee Zingyang, Meng Lisi, Quetta, South Korea

A South Korean official says there is “no evidence” that two Chinese nationals, whose abduction and murder in Pakistan has been claimed by the Islamic State group, had secretly travelled there to work – with a South Korean – as Christian missionaries. Pakistan’s interior ministry had claimed Lee Zingyang, 24, . . . Read More

North Korean accused of ‘spying’ after visiting Christian relatives in China

June 9, 2017 North Korea China, Kim Hak Song, Kim Jong-Un, Kim Seung-mo, Pyongyang, Pyongyang University of Science and Technology, Tony Kim

A North Korean man has been arrested on “spying” charges after meeting with Christian relatives in China, Radio Free Asia (RFA) reports.Kim Seung-mo, 61, was arrested on 3 June after visiting family in China’s Jilin province, which runs along the North Korean border. “After he came back from China, he . . . Read More

US Commission urges Trump administration to prioritise international religious freedom

May 18, 2017 Global News -- No Particular Country Abune Antonios, Andrew Brunson, Central African Republic, China, Donald Trump, Eritrea, Eritrean Orthodox Church, Iran, Mike Pence, Myanmar, Nguyen Cong Chinh, Nigeria, North Korea, Pakistan, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Religious freedom, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, USA, Uzbekistan, Vietnam

An influential US government commission that monitors religious freedom around the world is urging President Donald Trump and his new administration to take concrete steps to make advocacy of universal religious rights a priority in American foreign policy. “Our foreign policy should not simply be about US self-interest – you know, . . . Read More

Religious intolerance increasing, says Pew annual report

April 25, 2017 Global News -- No Particular Country China, Egypt, Europe, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, Religious freedom, Russia, Saudi Arabia

Europe is seeing an increase in government's engaging in harassment and use of force against religious groups. This is partly caused by a surge in migration.

A report released earlier this month by the Pew Research Center shows an increased intolerance towards religion by governments and societies alike in 2015. According to Pew’s annual report, restrictions on religious activities increased in 2015, as did harassment relating to religion. The global study, which included 198 countries, found . . . Read More

Escaped North Korean risks her life to visit Christian family she left behind

April 3, 2017 North Korea China, South Korea

It was a shock to Myoung-Hee* when she discovered that most of her family were Christians. Although it was four decades ago, she remembers it well. One night her father stumbled into the house, pale and weak, and she wondered if he was ill. Before he spoke, Myoung-Hee’s mother sent . . . Read More

Can you be a Chinese Christian, and a member of the Communist Party?

March 23, 2017 China China, Communism

In a popular internet forum, a young Chinese Christian recently asked if being a Christian and joining the Communist Party can go together, China Source reported on 14 March 2017. One answer came from a surprising source: The Central Committee of the Communist Youth League (CCCYL). It started with a . . . Read More

Chinese Communist Party using CCTV to ‘maintain social order’ at churches

March 23, 2017 China China, Communism, Crosses, Peter Shao Zhumin, Xi Jinping, Zhejiang

Cross on Dongguang Church in Shenyang, north-eastern China

The Chinese government is forcing churches in Zhejiang province to install CCTV reports UCA News. The Communist Party in the heavily Christian province on China’s east coast wants Catholic and Protestant churches to install CCTV cameras inside and outside their buildings, in a bid to control the number of Christians . . . Read More

South Korean pastors arrested for helping North Korean defectors

March 16, 2017 South Korea China, North Korea, Seoul, South Korea, USA

North Korean soldiers patrol the Yalu River on the Chinese-North Korean border

Two South Korean pastors have been arrested by Chinese police for giving protection to North Korean defectors in China, reports the South Korean news agency, Yonhap. The anti-North Korean campaign group, Justice for North Korea, said that the two pastors were helping defectors at risk of being repatriated. The pastors . . . Read More

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