Charities press Cameron to speak up for China’s Christians

Christian pressure groups this week urged the Prime Minister to question the Chinese President Xi Jinping over harassment and abuse of churches, writes Paul Wilkinson.

The prime focus of the president’s state visit to Britain was expanding trade between the two countries, but John Pontifex, of Aid to the Church in Need, said: “When he went to tea at Buckingham Palace, I hope somebody asked him why last year the regime in China found it necessary to round up nearly 450 church leaders.

“Perhaps President Xi could also account for the 650 acts of aggression against churches carried out across just one province in China – acts that resulted in the partial or complete demolition of church buildings.

“Do we really want to look the other way and carry on doing business with a country rated as an ‘extreme’ oppressor of Christians, according to ACN’s latest ‘Persecuted and Forgotten?’ report, released only last week?”
Bob Fu, the founder and ­president of the US-based group China Aid and himself a refugee from the Beijing regime, came to London this week to lobby and protest.

He met MPs in West­minster and attended a rally in St James’s Park with Chinese activists. He said: “The barbaric demolition and destruction of crosses in hundreds of churches in China and arbitrary violent arrests of pastors, priests and human-rights lawyers show rapid deterioration of religious freedom and human rights in China.

“It is imperative for Prime Minister Cameron and his administration to raise these issues and specific cases to the visiting  Chinese president. Silence and appeasement will only encourage more brutality of the Chinese tyrannical regime.”

Mervyn Thomas, chief executive of Christian Solidarity Worldwide, said: “Christians and other religious minorities continue to experience violations of their right to freedom of religion or belief. It is essential that the UK stand with those who seek to uphold the rights of their fellow citizens and fight for rule of law in China.”

Lisa Pearce, chief executive of the organisation Open Doors UK which supports oppressed Christian groups worldwide, said that the situation for some Christians in China had improved, but that there was a long way to go in other areas of the country.

“We would urge the Prime Minister to use his influence and speak up for true religious freedom throughout China,” she said.

A Downing Street spokeswoman rejected accusations that Mr Cameron was “kowtowing” to Beijing for the sake of commercial deals. She said that talks in Downing Street on Wednesday and at the PM’s retreat Chequers on Thursday would cover “the full range of issues”.