Beijing, China - A senior Chinese official has warned the nation’s religious leaders to obey the ruling Communist Party and guard against foreigners using religion to “infiltrate” China, state press said Monday.
“Religious affairs work must be established within the overall work of the party and state and must completely obey, serve and develop under this task,” said Jia Qinglin, who is ranked number four in the party hierachy.Such work “should unify and lead the overwhelming number of religious believers to fully join the undertaking of building socialism with Chinese characteristics.”
Jia was speaking Sunday to the top leaders of China’s state-run religious affairs bureaus and his comments were carried in the People’s Daily. Jia raised concerns that Western religions and the Muslim religion were entering China in ways that were not in accord with the government’s wishes. Religious affairs work should “fully withstand foreign forces using religion to infiltrate (our country) in any way and safeguard state security and social stability,” Jia said. China has millions of Christians and many of them refuse to worship within state-controlled churches.