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China

• Pastor Cao Faces a "Paper Trial"

  

  American pastor John Cao and his co-worker, Jing Ruxia, were detained in 2017 after being accused of "organizing illegal border crossings" between Myanmar and China (see our previous report). Pastor Cao was sentenced to seven years in prison and Jing to one year. Although the accused pastor has appealed the sentence, the hearing has been pushed back several times.

  Last week, the hearing was scheduled for August 22nd. However, Pastor Cao's lawyer received notice on July 12th that there will be no hearing after all; instead, the lawyers must submit any arguments on paper by July 17th. The court would then consider the arguments and render a decision. ChinaAid founder Bob Fu has condemned the process as a "sham" and a "trial session on paper only."

• Multiple Church Raids and Closures

  

  Opposition to unregistered house churches in China has increased significantly, with multiple raids and closures in recent days. Officials in Xiamen have stated their intent to shut down all house churches within the city over the next two years, which is only one small part of a nationwide campaign.

• Pastor's Wife Released on Bail

  

  On the evening of December 9th, 2018, over 100 members of the Early Rain Covenant Church were arrested in coordinated raids on their homes. The pastor, Wang Yi, remains in detention, facing up to 15 years in prison. Several others, including his wife, also face charges. For more information on this incident, go to this page.

• Ongoing Church Harassment

  

  As opposition to Christianity grows throughout China, churches in rural areas in particular are experiencing rapid growth. One Christian stated that "people are joining churches by the whole village, one village after another." When asked why, the believer said one factor is that limited financial resources force people to rely on God in their everyday lives.

• Christianity Allegedly an "Enormous Harm"

  
  

  A seminar was held during late April in the city of Hebi, Henan, to discuss "Christianity's enormous harm on China's security." Attended by members of the Chinese Communist Party, the gathering encouraged all members to maintain "correct views" in regards to the religion.

• Government Hires Church Spies

  

  The Chinese government is hiring citizens to spy on churches, according to Christian leaders. A church elder from the city of Kaifeng, located in Henan province, stated that officials within his area had recruited someone of each village to scrutinize the worship services, paying them five times the normal monthly stipend given to poor households.

• More Than Twenty Arrested in Shanghai

  

  Authorities in the city of Shanghai seized more than 20 Christian business leaders, along with one American citizen, in the early morning of April 4th. According to ChinaAid, the arrests were directly tied to their faith and church activities.

• Prominent Church Closed

  

  Over the past eight years, we have been reporting on numerous incidents of hardship faced by members of the Shouwang Church in Beijing, one of the most prominent unregistered churches in the country. On March 23rd, the police moved in to completely shut down and liquidate the church. For a list of previous reports, click here.

• John Cao's Appeal Delayed Again

  

  Despite continued efforts to submit an appeal, local authorities have again postponed the hearing for John Cao, who was convicted in 2017 of "organizing an illegal border crossing" between China and Myanmar, and thus sentenced to seven years in prison (see this report).

• Mysterious Disappearance of Church Affiliate

  

  Since the arrest of over 100 members of the Early Rain Covenant Church in December, authorities have continued to charge, detain and harass Christians associated with the church. For more information on the original raid, click here.

  One member, Pan Fei, has been arrested several times since the original attack. After the first time he was detained, interrogated and released, he moved to a new home. Yet, he continued to be harassed by the local authorities who frequently broke into his residence.