Subj: China: Praying the rhetoric becomes reality.

Dear Friends

this is a long posting, and I do apologise for that as it is much longer than I would normally intend to write. However, this is a very interesting and important subject - the 8`need for, and prospect of, increasing religious freedom in China.

- EK

China: Praying the rhetoric becomes reality.

There are some highly significant changes occurring in the ideology of the Chinese Communist Party. Chinese reformers, entrepreneurs and intellectuals are pleased with the prospects of ushering in a 'new era', but the conservative Maoists are fighting it all the way.

The changes give grounds for optimism that the religious liberty situation in China may be about to gradually improve. This optimism is greeted by many with a skepticism made fat on over 50 years of severe Communist oppression and persecution.

While China is hinting at, talking about, and proposing increased freedom, Christians continue to wait, praying that the rhetoric will eventually become reality. They continue to risk much just to meet together for prayer, worship and teaching, or to share their faith.

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PERSECUTION

On 28 July the WEA RLC received a note from Xiqiu (Bob) Fu, the co-editor along with Shixiong Li of "Religion and National Security in China: Secret documents from China's security sector" which was released in February 2002. (See links 1 & 2)

Bob Fu writes: "As you know, since 1995 the evangelical South China Church (SCC) has been under severe persecution by Chinese government in the name of 'cracking down on evil cults'. The suppression has been escalating since 2001. So far, 5 got death-sentenced, over 200 of SCC leaders had been arrested with their sentence ranging from life to one year, over 500 of their full-time evangelists have lost their homes with all their properties confiscated, thousands of the ordinary believers got beaten, short-term detention, heavily fined (I have most of their names with their bold signatures and short account of their suffering stories). Here is the latest update on the conditions of the prisoners of SCC. This is from an absolutely credible source who asked to remain anonymous for obvious reason. Please pray -you, your church, for them and to think of any means to help them."

The latest report is as follows: "The trial for SCC is going to be closed to the media and all outsiders. The prison has them in shackles that are cutting into their skin. One of the Christian prisoners of SCC cut is so deep, that you almost see his wrist bone. They have been malnourished and fed very little so that their ability to comprehend their surroundings is deteriorating."

The Catholic Church also continues to suffer persecution. On Saturday 27 July, Reuters released the news, "China sentences Catholic priests to labour camp". In this article (see link 3) the Cardinal Kung Foundation reports that "Fathers Pang Yongxing, 30, Ma Shunbao, 50, and Wang Limao, 32, all underground Roman Catholic clergy members in Baoding city in the northern province of Hebei, were sentenced on July 7 for 'disturbing the peace of society'. Police arrested Wang as he delivered mass on Palm Sunday in March, Ma while offering Easter Sunday mass a week later, and Pang in his home on December 2001."

The Connecticut-based Cardinal Kung Foundation reports that the three priests were sentenced earlier in July at a court in Hebei province and are being held at the Balizhuang labour camp in Baoding, around 150 km south of Beijing. "To sentence these Roman Catholics under the 'cult' law and to punish them for this in labour camps is a transparent example that there is no religious freedom in China," said the foundation's president Joseph Kung. "It makes a mockery of the 'religious freedom' clause in the Chinese constitution."

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PROSPECTIVE REFORMS

- IDEOLOGICAL

On 13 May Jiang Zemin spoke at the graduation ceremony of the Party School of the CPC Central Committee. He said China must seize this opportunity to deepen its commitment to reform and opening-up. Indeed - all the rhetoric points in the direction of reforming the ideology, opening-up and increasing freedom.

Chinese leaders are presently meeting in the beach resort of Beidaihe, 300 km (190 miles) east of Beijing to debate the transfer of power to a new, younger generation. It is anticipated (though not a foregone conclusion) that President Jiang Zemin will step aside in favour of his likely successor Hu Jintao at the Communist Party's five-yearly congress in September or October. Jiang Zemin's progressive policies and the pace of change, are upsetting leading ultra-conservative hard-line Maoists, who have suggested that these new policies would turn the Communist Party into "a party for all people", something they consider a betrayal.

At the core of Zemin's new ideology is his "Theory of the Three Representatives" which is widely expected to be written into the Constitution at the Congress. Why this is so upsetting to the conservatives is, it will open the door for private entrepreneurs and intellectuals to join the Communist Party. The "Theory of the Three Representatives" states that the Communist Party is to represent not just the "proletariat" but three groups - peasants, labourers, and entrepreneurs.

In a bid to minimise opposition, Zemin and his reformers are proposing that China's workers and peasants be labeled "basic labourers" and entrepreneurs as "management labourers". The three groups would all be branded "career labourers".

A Friday 19 July 2002 South China Morning Post (SCMP) article entitled, "Congress 'to consider democracy goal'" by Fong Tak-Ho, states that democracy is part of the reform package to be considered at the Congress - "democratisation" with "unique characteristics" that is.

Quoting SCMP, "Professor Wang Tianyi, director of the political and economic research office under the Central Party School, was quoted as saying: 'The political life of Chinese people will gradually transform from an absolutely submissive style towards a democratised and legalised one and one with its own unique characteristics.'

"But Professor Wang stressed that the concept of 'democratic politics' would only be one acceptable to the communist leadership.

"Professor Wang's remarks reflected the Beijing leadership's desire to strike a balance between granting more freedom to the public and maintaining the unity of the Communist Party, said Liu Chungshun, a political scholar with the Wuhan Academy of Social Sciences.

"By 'unique characteristics' the leadership is referring to two principles: that the democratic system in China would be different from systems adopted in Western countries, and that mainlanders would gradually enjoy more rights than before, according to Professor Liu."

- RELIGIOUS

A Saturday 20 July 2002 South China Morning Post article entitled, "Beijing's plan to lift religious bans," by Mark O'Neill in Beijing states, "Lawmakers at Beijing's Municipal People's Congress are proposing relaxing restrictions on officially sanctioned mainstream religions in the capital to allow them to operate more smoothly.

"The changes also would allow religious organisations to set up schools, universities and training programmes, it said.

"A China News Service report said the regulations were passed on Thursday (18 July). But a spokesman for the Legislative Affairs Commission, Liu Bo, said yesterday (19 July) that the regulations had not been passed, although lawmakers had approved their first reading.

" '[Lawmakers] raised their own opinions,' Mr. Liu said. 'But this was only the first reading and it has not become law. We have to have a second reading and only then might it become law. In a few days, we will have a statement on this and will open a hotline from July 22 to August 4 to handle questions from the public.'

"The new regulations, if approved, would signal a significant relaxation of the mainland's tight control over religious affairs.

"Mainland officials have recently hinted at more tolerance of mainstream religions as the central government is adjusting its policies in response to a rapidly changing society and increased international exchanges following China's entry to the World Trade Organisation."

Jean-Pierre Lehmann is professor of international political economy at the International Institute for Management Development, Lausanne, Switzerland, and founding director of the Evian Group, a coalition for global liberal governance. He wrote an article entitled "Five economic scenarios but only one way forward" for the South China Morning Post, published on 24 July.

Lehmann concludes that all possible scenarios contain "quite high risks of social conflict, even possibly implosion." He believes that the scenario of China becoming a "key global economic player" is only possible if China is also willing to open up socially.

"In becoming a more open economy, China must also become a more open society," says Lehmann. "There has been considerable progress in this area. But it must continue. Gradual political reform must be introduced in order to increase transparency, strengthen civil society and allow greater freedom."

Links

1) "Religion and National Security in China: Secret documents from China's security sector" edited by Shixiong Li and Xiqiu (Bob) Fu. (11 Feb 2002) "Religious Freedom for China" website http://www.religiousfreedomforchina.org/

2) Christianity Today magazine also covered this issue in their March 2002 edition. See articles: "'New' China: Same Old Tricks". "What China's Secret Documents Reveal". "The Unlikely Activist". And the three persecution dossiers at Christianity Today magazine http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2002/003/

3) "China sentences Catholic priests to labour camp" Reuters 27july2002 http://sg.news.yahoo.com/reuters/asia-117418.html

16th Party Congress in 2002 (enormous collection of articles on all issues facing the Congress). http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/topic/16cpcnc/lr.htm

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