In the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, located in the northwest of the People’s Republic of China, there are approximately 24,400 mosques. On average, and this information is relatively easy to verify, each mosque in Xinjiang serves about 530 worshippers, most of whom belong to the local Uyghur ethnic community. If we consider the entire People’s Republic of China, whose Muslim population is roughly five times larger than that of the United States, we find that it has just over 39,100 mosques—around 14 times more than the United States.
The author of these lines fondly recalls numerous visits to ancient mosques in Xi’an and Beijing, which date back to the 8th and 10th centuries, respectively, as well as conversations with local Muslims during times when the West claimed they were enduring the greatest trials and terror.
POROUS BORDER BETWEEN RELIGION AND PHILOSOPHY
In the Far East, the boundary between religion and philosophy is porous. Thus, in China, it is not uncommon to see Taoists in Buddhist temples or Buddhists in Taoist temples, especially during festivals of these religious communities. The only condition that China imposes on its religious communities—whether they are Buddhist (Chan or Zen Buddhism), Taoist, Christian, or Islamic—is that they must be legalized, respect Chinese laws, uphold the stability of Chinese society and the state, and not, particularly in political and security terms, be subordinated to centers of power outside the People’s Republic of China. For example, Protestant Christian churches in China operate under an umbrella organization called the Chinese Christian Council, established in 1980, while Chinese Catholics are organized around the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association, founded in 1957.
ORTHODOXY IN CHINA
Regarding Orthodoxy in China, its roots, and the small Chinese Orthodox Church, the author of these lines has written on several occasions in other media. A particularly significant event in the author’s life was a brief meeting with Russian Patriarch Kirill and receiving an icon of Christ’s Resurrection from His Holiness after a liturgy in Beijing. This is noteworthy because the Orthodox community in China is very small today and occupies a unique position, so it is not mentioned in the context of exploiting religious issues.
THREAT OF EXCOMMUNICATION
The relationship between the People’s Republic of China and the Vatican, which remains the only European state to formally not recognize China, reflects the Chinese government’s approach to religious groups. After China established the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association, effectively preventing the Vatican from appointing bishops within its borders, relations between the “two sides” have generally fluctuated between periods of decline and occasional improvement.
From the very beginning, relations between the Vatican and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) have been extremely difficult. For example, Pope Pius XII forbade Chinese Catholics from joining the CCP’s army during the civil conflict in the country, and in 1950, the Holy See threatened them with excommunication if they supported any organization under CCP control. The very next year, the People’s Republic of China severed all ties with the Vatican. If we skip over an entire era of very cold relations between Beijing and the Vatican, we arrive at the early 21st century, when Pope John Paul II used a conference in Beijing dedicated to the legacy of Matteo Ricci, the famous Jesuit who lived in China during the late 16th and early 17th centuries, as an opportunity to reach out to Beijing.
CHEN AT THE POPE’S FUNERAL
During this occasion, the Pope sent a message to the Chinese people, expressing regret over the actions of those who “may have given the impression of a lack of respect and understanding for the Chinese people by the Catholic Church.”
The Pope also asked for forgiveness and understanding from those who, again perhaps, “felt hurt by the actions of Christians.” China interpreted this apology as a step by the Vatican toward warming relations. However, by 2005, almost all progress was undone when the then-president of Taiwan, Chen Shui-bian, appeared at the funeral of Pope John Paul II as a representative of the island’s separatist authorities. Although it was explained that Chen “took the initiative” to attend the funeral, this gesture was not well received in Beijing. Following protests from the Chinese government over the presence of the separatist representative from Taiwan, it seemed that relations between Beijing and the Vatican were set back by half a century.
APPOINTMENT OF BISHOPS – THE GORDIAN KNOT
Pope Benedict XVI subsequently issued a letter stating that the sacraments administered by Chinese priests not in communion with the Vatican were valid but not lawful. This definition highlights the Roman Catholic Church’s remarkable ability to navigate complex issues with nuanced logic, particularly when its goals cannot be fully and immediately achieved.
Benedict XVI emphasized that the Roman Catholic Church recognizes the legitimacy of China’s civil authorities in secular matters but asserted that the Pope holds authority in ecclesiastical matters. He condemned the involvement of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association in appointing bishops as a violation of Roman Catholic doctrine. However, in the same letter, Benedict XVI revoked the Vatican’s earlier approval allowing unauthorized religious groups in China to appoint bishops without Vatican consent.
This intricate web of interests, resembling a type of Gordian knot, was partially untangled in 2018 when a Provisional Agreement on the Appointment of Bishops was reached between the Vatican and Beijing authorities. The Vatican characterized the agreement as “pastoral,” as described by then-Vatican spokesperson Greg Burke, rather than political. However, in essence, the agreement was historic.
SYMBOLIC GESTURES OF GOODWILL
Beijing secured the right to approve or veto bishop appointments while making several symbolic gestures of goodwill, such as recognizing previously unapproved bishops. The provisional agreement between the Vatican and the People’s Republic of China, signed in 2018, was renewed for the third time in October of this year. Signs of new cooperation, according to Roman Catholic media, include the participation of Chinese bishops in Vatican synod assemblies, Chinese youth attending World Youth Day, and Chinese Catholics joining Pope Francis on his apostolic journeys. “The Vatican side,” reads a statement from the Holy See, “remains committed to further advancing respectful and constructive dialogue with the Chinese side to foster the bilateral relationship for the benefit of the Catholic Church in China and the entire Chinese people.”
PREY FOR INTELLIGENCE AND SECURITY PREDATORS
The outlined relationship between the People’s Republic of China and the Vatican, as well as the position of the Catholic community in China, vividly illustrates Beijing’s stance toward all religious communities. Simply put, they cannot be allowed to become instruments of external influence or to work against the state. Instead, they must operate in accordance with the law. However, this does not mean that religious groups in China are not seen as prey or tools for foreign intelligence and security predators.
A prime example is the activities of Western media and organizations concerning the situation of the Uyghur ethnic community. From 2006 to approximately 2017, Uyghur extremists in China carried out thousands of bloody terrorist attacks, resulting in several thousand casualties. A significant portion of Western support for Uyghur separatists has been “justified” by narratives of endangered and degraded religious freedoms, as most Turkic-speaking Uyghurs are Muslims.
THE “TRIAL” OF CHINA UNDER SIR GEOFFREY NICE
The National Endowment for Democracy (NED), along with other U.S. intelligence and security agencies and organizations, has provided substantial support to Uyghur separatists, claiming that no less than genocide has been committed against this ethnic group, whose population has multiplied several times since 1949. In collaboration with NED and other U.S.-based organizations, the World Uyghur Congress organized a “trial” of China for the alleged “genocide” of the Uyghurs. This so-called “tribunal” was chaired by Sir Geoffrey Nice, a key figure in the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), who notably served as the prosecutor in the unfinished trial against President Slobodan Milošević.
Unlike Uyghur extremists, members of other religious communities in China have generally not resorted to violence. For them, a separate organization has been “assigned”—ChinaAid—which targets China from a religious perspective, if it can be described as such. This organization was founded in 2002 by Pastor Bob Fu Xiqiu, who fled China in 1997. Its headquarters are in Texas, with an office in Washington, D.C.
SUPPORT FOR “UNDERGROUND” CHRISTIAN GROUPS
The core activity of ChinaAid, which openly acknowledges its connections with the U.S. government, revolves around forming and supporting illegal (“underground”) Christian groups in China with the aim of destabilizing the country. The organization has trained individuals on how to establish illegal religious groups in China, resembling house or “underground” churches. According to Chinese media reports, some of these “underground” religious groups infiltrated small towns and rural villages in Zhejiang Province. When illegal house-based religious establishments and activities, organized according to ChinaAid‘s instructions, were discovered by Chinese security services, accusations soon followed that the People’s Republic of China was conducting religious persecution. Chinese experts point out that this misled the broader public, as the prohibition of illegal activities was falsely portrayed as a crackdown on religious freedoms and human rights.
NETWORKING WITH THE GOAL OF OVERTHROWING THE GOVERNMENT IN CHINA
At the 15th anniversary celebration of ChinaAid in 2017, held at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., some of the most radical American political hawks were present. Among them was Frank Wolf, a thirty-year member of the House of Representatives and co-chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission. Wolf is also a member of the Advisory Board of ChinaAid. Wolf is known for the so-called “Wolf Clause” from 2011, which sought to obstruct cooperation between the People’s Republic of China and the U.S. in space exploration and related activities. Another attendee at the Library of Congress event was William Inboden, another political hawk, who openly advocated for action to overthrow the government in China. Inboden is also a member of the Advisory Board of ChinaAid.
According to Chinese media reports and analyses, ChinaAid‘s most important partner is the National Endowment for Democracy (NED). In fact, ChinaAid received NED’s Democracy Award in 2019. In addition to NED, which has been described in broader global circles as the “CIA in gloves,” ChinaAid’s notable partners include Freedom House and the Lantos Foundation. Founded in 1941 to counter the communist threat in Europe, Freedom House is now a think tank organization that, according to Chinese sources, receives approximately 80% of its funding from the U.S. government and maintains close ties with the Bush family.
RECOGNIZED FOR MALEVOLENCE
Thomas Peter Lantos (1928–2008) is remembered with hostility by Serbs, especially those who followed events during the 1990s. The author of these lines vividly recalls a statement he made a year before his death, asserting that there could be no freedom for Kosovo (Lantos passionately insisted on using the newly coined Albanian term “Kosova”) without independence. He also claimed that Serbia had lost the legitimacy to maintain sovereignty over Kosovo and Metohija. This American of Jewish origin, born in Hungary, strongly advocated for sanctions against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Serbia while actively supporting the Muslim side in the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The Lantos Foundation, established in 2008 and named after the former U.S. Congressman Thomas Peter Lantos, known as Tom, is highly active. Its work is particularly focused on actions against the People’s Republic of China, especially regarding issues of “religion” and “human rights.”
THE CULT OF “RELIGIOUS FREEDOM” DEMANDS
In addition to meddling in Chinese policies in Xinjiang and Tibet and providing support to ChinaAid, the Lantos family, according to information available in Chinese media and statements by Chinese experts, has also been involved with the Falun Gong cult. Falun Gong is a cult founded in the 1990s in China by Li Hongzhi, who soon emigrated to the United States. The formal goal of the cult is “spiritual upliftment through moral rectitude and the practice of specific exercises and meditation.” At one point, the Chinese government assessed that the cult was becoming a threat to social and state order in China. This conclusion came after a large number of cult adherents gathered in April 1999 in front of government buildings in Beijing, demanding “religious freedom.” The cult was subsequently banned.
“HARVESTING HUMAN ORGANS” IN CHINA
Katrina Lantos Swett, the daughter of Tom Lantos and president of the Lantos Foundation, is also a member of the Advisory Board of, you guessed it, ChinaAid. Her foundation strongly supports the activities of Falun Gong, which is increasingly less of a “religious cult” or traditional sect and more of an anti-Chinese political organization involved in business ventures, including owning newspapers and television stations. In early July this year, Falun Gong presented what it claimed to be the first “surviving victim” of alleged “human organ harvesting” in China.
In response, Chinese media published the complete dossier of a person named Cheng Peiming, who, before fleeing to the United States, had been a long-term prisoner. Records revealed that while in prison, Cheng intentionally swallowed a nail and sharp construction debris, requiring doctors to save his life with great difficulty. Interestingly, just one week before this press conference, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation related to Falun Gong, claiming that “organ harvesting” is being conducted in China.
48 HOURS OF DETENTION
After more than a decade on the run and four full years in the United States, Cheng Peiming only appeared this year as a “key witness” to alleged organ harvesting in China. He spoke at two Falun Gong press conferences, on August 7 and September 4.
Notably, Falun Gong has also been active in Serbia. In May this year, Serbian media reported that ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Serbia, a member of the Serbian-Chinese Friendship Society and the philosophical movement Falun Gong, Dejan Marković, was detained along with two other members and held in police custody for 48 hours. Allegedly, among those detained was the father of director Sara Marković, author of the film On the Blacklist, which deals with Falun Gong.
FALUN GONG IN SHEEP’S CLOTHING
The most recent post on Falun Gong’s Serbian website was published on January 26, 2023. In addition to providing classic financial support for color revolutions, traditional NGOs focusing on human rights, and paramilitary groups such as Uyghur or Albanian terrorists, the U.S. also houses organizations “specialized” in supporting “endangered” religious groups and religious freedoms.
Organizations like ChinaAid or the Lantos Foundation are prime examples of such entities. Falun Gong, which offers completely free courses in its spiritual exercises, serves as an even better example of how financial support and politically targeted activities can merge into a symbiosis disguised in sheep’s clothing.
