Displaying items by tag: China

Friday, 03 January 2020 09:17

Hong Kong: no Happy New Year

South China’s Morning Post editor prophesied: ‘There is no Happy New Year ahead for Hong Kong, just endless protest chaos for the foreseeable future. Get used to it because nothing is changing, nobody is coming to the rescue, and no one has any panacea for the most destructive and debilitating social and political crisis since the city’s return to China. Wreck and repair, rinse and repeat: that’s been the new normal for more than six months and the lid has been blown off the Pandora’s box of Hongkongers’ pent-up problems and frustrations. Hong Kong’s revolution is sliding into terrorism with home-made bombs. There will be scattered protests on weekdays while most citizens go about their daily business, occasional mass rallies to mark some anniversary or another of the hate-China / destroy-police / despise-government campaign, and regular outbreaks of violence and anarchy over weekends and public holidays.’ Let us pray that this gloomy prophecy will not be accurate and that God will miraculously end a frightening situation.

Published in Worldwide

Beijing has summoned a U.S. diplomat after lawmakers in Washington approved legislation that calls for sanctions against senior Chinese officials for human rights violations linked to a crackdown on the country's Muslim minority.

The Uighur (Uyghur) Act of 2019 criticizes Beijing's "gross human rights violations" in the northwestern region of Xinjiang, where about 1 million Uyghurs and other mostly Muslim minorities are held in internment camps.

The measure passed 407 to 1 on December 3 and is a stronger version of the bill that cleared the Senate in September. The two documents must be reconciled into one bill for U.S. President Trump's signature, or veto.

China has defended the existence of the internment camps, which it says are used for "re-education" and has denied mistreating Uyghurs.

"We urge the U.S. to immediately correct its mistakes, prevent the aforementioned Xinjiang-related bill from becoming law, and stop using the Xinjiang-related issue to interfere in China's internal affairs," a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said in a statement on December 4.

Chinese media later reported that Vice Foreign Minister Qin Gang had summoned William Klein, the charge d'affaires of the US Embassy in China, to lodge "strong protests" against the bill.

"Any attempt to stir up ethnic relations in China, undermine Xinjiang's prosperity and stability, and curb China's development and progress is doomed to fail," Qin said, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

Beijing first denied the existence of the camps, but has since justified its policy as providing valuable vocational training and veering Muslims away from extremism.

Activists and witnesses have instead said China employs torture to forcibly assimilate Uyghurs into the region's Han majority.

Other measures include pressuring Muslims to reject their beliefs such as, giving up prayer and abstaining from eating pork and drinking alcohol.

More at: https://www.rferl.org/a/u-s-congress-approves-uyghur-bill-demanding-sanctions-on-china/30306948.html?ltflags=mailer

With reporting by dpa, AFP, AP, and Reuters

Pray: for all those who are being oppressed in China because of their religious beliefs.

Pray: that this proven crackdown on the Uyghur people will stop.

Pray: for broader international support for sanctions along with political intervention.

Pray: for the Christian Church in China which is facing severe persecution.

Thursday, 12 December 2019 23:23

Hong Kong: stalemate

On 24 November we praised the district election results which swept aside ­pro-establishment candidates and installed democratic majorities in 17 out of 18 districts, a stunning reversal attributed to the months of protests and voters’ deep dissatisfaction with the government. But now, three weeks later, prayer is still needed for a commission of inquiry into allegations of police brutality. Chief executive Carrie Lam is in no haste to satisfy any of the demands, which she has repeatedly dismissed as unrealistic. Several opinion polls indicate that most Hong Kong citizens support an independent inquiry, but she insists on leaving all ­questions about police conduct during the protests to an independent police complaints council. Beijing is in no rush to fix the problem, stating that Hong Kong will always be a part of China, and urges them to be more like their Macau counterparts in making the ‘one country, two systems’ principle work. Commentators warn of an even bigger political crisis if deep-rooted grievances are not addressed.

Published in Worldwide
Friday, 29 November 2019 12:22

WORLD WATCH LIST - Global trends in 2019

Open Doors latest report brings much sobering reading, but also a few positive glimmers.

In Brief:

North Korea (1) tops the World Watch List for the 18th year in a row. Despite its ranking in the top slot it did free three Korean-American Christians from a North Korean prison.

Persecution of Christians is getting worse. Five years ago only one country – North Korea – was ranked in the ‘extreme’ category for its level of persecution of Christians. This year, 11 countries score enough to fit that category.

China (27) has risen 16 places in the list after new Regulations for Religious Affairs came into force in February 2018.

In Myanmar (18) tens of thousands of members of the Karen tribe – a majority-Christian ethnic tribe – have been killed and least 120,000 displaced.

India (10) has entered the top ten for the first time. The BJP-led government continues to promote an extremist militant Hindu agenda.

In Turkey (26) President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been stirring up ultra-nationalistic sentiment for some time and this has caused added difficulties for Christians in Turkey, especially Evangelicals.

As radical Islam has been forced out of the Middle East, it has spread into sub-Saharan Africa. Almost 30 violent Islamic extremist groups are known to be active in the region.

Islamic militants also have also gained strength in failed states like Somalia (3), Libya (4) and Yemen (8), where they continue to recruit, and capture pockets of territory.

The two places where Christians suffer the most violence are Nigeria (12) and Pakistan (5).

THE WORLD WATCH LIST: THREE MAIN TRENDS

Three major trends have shaped persecution against Christians this year:

Authoritarian states are clamping down and using legal regulations to control religion.

Ultra-nationalists are depicting Christians as ‘alien’ or ‘western’ and trying to drive them out.

Radical Islam has moved from the Middle East to sub-Saharan Africa.

GOOD NEWS

It’s not all bad news! There is light in the darkness, and the courageous faith of Christians is evident, even in the harshest conditions.

Worldwide: Above all, the World Watch List shows that the church is active and alive. Persecution is rising – but that only happens where the church is actively sharing the gospel and living it out.

Read the full report and download resources from the Open Doors Website Here: https://www.opendoorsuk.org/persecution/trends/

Pray: Lets continue to be in prayer for the estimated 245 million people worldwide who are persecuted for their Christian faith.
Pray: For those who are in prison, detention or separation from their families, due to their faith.
Pray: For the estimated 11 people a day who are martyred for being a Christian – and for their families and loved ones. (Rev 2:10)
Pray: For strength and encouragement for the Church of Christ – that it will continue to grow and flourish despite the persecution.

Thursday, 28 November 2019 22:54

Hong Kong: US act and election results

The US Senate has passed a Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act (see ) that aims to protect the human rights and autonomy and freedoms of Hong Kong. This bill sends a message of hope to many pro-democracy protesters. China warned it could take ‘firm counter-measures’ if Washington continues to show support for Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protesters. We need to pray that more nations in the free world will also send a clear message to Beijing that they stand with Hong Kong in their struggle for democracy. Meanwhile, Hong Kong’s first election since the protests began saw a turnout of 71% as people stood up to defend their freedoms against an increasingly aggressive Beijing. Their votes resulted in seventeen of the eighteen district councils now being controlled by pro-democracy councillors. However, China’s state media outlets are either making no reference at all to election results or claiming ‘tampering’ had taken place.

Published in Worldwide
Thursday, 28 November 2019 22:28

China: UK calls for immediate UN access to Xinjiang

The Foreign Office has called on China to allow UN observers ‘immediate and unfettered’ access to China’s Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous region, after two leaks provided further evidence of mass arbitrary detentions. An estimated 1 to 3 million Muslim Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities are detained without charge in ‘political re-education’ camps. US media published 400+ pages of documents detailing widespread involvement of senior Chinese officials in these unprecedented mass detentions, where authorities use a scoring system to determine who can leave the camps. Also, the behaviour of relatives outside the camps can affect detainees’ chances of release. More documents were leaked by investigative journalists, similarly detailing mechanisms, guidelines and procedures behind the detentions in Xinjiang and the severity of conditions inside the camps. China claims that the camps are voluntary training centres to combat terrorism.

Published in Worldwide
Thursday, 21 November 2019 22:45

Hong Kong: threat to religious freedom

A Christian activist says the religious freedoms of Hong Kong citizens could be at risk if the government continues to ignore the demands of protesters. The violence is some of the worst seen in the territory since anti-government demonstrations began almost six months ago. Co-founder and chair of human rights charity Hong Kong Watch, Ben Rogers, says, ‘It's worth remembering that the violence really was started by the police. If general freedoms are further eroded, sooner or later religious freedom will be affected. If Hong Kong's way of life is dismantled, then the church will be directly affected, and so pray specifically for the Hong Kong church at this time.’ May the global Church hear Rogers’ concern for the potential implications this conflict could have on religious rights in Hong Kong, and pray accordingly.

Published in Worldwide
Thursday, 14 November 2019 21:52

Hong Kong: chaos and excessive police force

Two protesters are in a critical condition after being shot in violent demonstrations and a pro-Beijing supporter was doused in flammable liquid and set alight after arguing with protesters, who are demanding greater democracy and police accountability. The pedestrian crossing where the first young protester was shot has become a site of considerable tension. He remains in a critical condition. The protester we prayed for last week after falling from a car park has since died. The police also drew firearms from their holsters in two other places but denied reports that they were ordered to ‘recklessly use their firearms’. An independent expert said that Hong Kong’s police watchdog does not have the powers or resources to cope with the scale of protests, and ‘light touch’ body probing by the police at demonstrations has a capabilities ‘shortfall’. Powers to summon witnesses need to meet the task of examining allegations against police. See also

Published in Worldwide

Chinese Christians in Anhui are said to be ‘outraged’ after their state-registered megachurch was demolished and their pastors arrested.

Demolition work (pictured) began at Funan County Christian Church on Friday, partway through a worship service. (More information and short video clip of the demolition here.)

Elderly church members knelt down in front of the church, begging officials not to destroy the building, says Release partner ChinaAid. Several fainted and required hospital treatment.

Pastors Geng Yimin and Sun Yongyao were arrested the next day on suspicion of ‘gathering a crowd to disturb social order’. Their church could seat up to 3,000 people.

ChinaAid Director Bob Fu says believers are ‘outraged’.

‘The Chinese Government is now ordering believers to worship in a remote endangered building which can only host a few hundred people,’ he said. Yet, ChinaAid says many Christians, including those in Funan, are too afraid to speak out for fear of more persecution.

Pray: that God will bless His people in Funan and provide a new building for them. Pray that they will grow in unity and faith through this ordeal.

Pray: for the immediate release without charge of Funan pastors Geng Yimin and Sun Yongyao. Ask God to comfort those who were distressed by the demolition.

Praise: God that Christianity is growing fast in China, despite intense persecution. Sources quoted by ChinaAid estimate that there are now more than 100 million Christians in China.

(Source: China Aid)

Friday, 04 October 2019 08:53

China: TV - a weapon in an arsenal of repression

Since Hong Kong’s anti-government protests began, Beijing’s state TV (CCTV) has gone to great lengths to demonise protesters and mislead Chinese and international audiences about the nature of the movement. CCTV’s flagship news programme runs segments denouncing the protests, claiming they are linked to ‘external forces’. It also reported that a protester had blinded a woman, whereas she was actually struck in the eye by a police bean-bag round. The station’s international arm released videos and graphics on YouTube and Facebook, comparing protesters to Islamist militants and claiming they are backed by US spy agencies. Recently a news video platform urged its 89 million followers to identify, investigate, and publish online the personal information of Hong Kong protesters and journalists - thus targeting the political enemies of the Communist party, which celebrated its 70th anniversary on 1 October. It has taken China less than 70 years to emerge from isolation to become one of the world's greatest economic powers.

Published in Worldwide