China blasts US after Rubio condemns detention of church leaders

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China blasts US after Rubio condemns detention of church leaders

8:08 CAT | 14 Oct 2025

Image: Bloomberg

China hit back at the US for what it called interference in its domestic affairs, after Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned Beijing’s recent detention of church leaders.

“The Chinese government governs religious affairs in accordance with law, protects the religious freedom of the citizens and the normal religious activities,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said at a regular briefing Monday. “We firmly oppose the US interfering in China’s internal affairs with the so-called religious issues.”

The comments came after Rubio criticized the ruling Chinese Communist Party for detaining dozens of leaders of the unregistered Zion Church.

“This crackdown further demonstrates how the CCP exercises hostility towards Christians who reject Party interference in their faith and choose to worship at unregistered house churches,” Rubio said in a written statement Sunday.

Lin declined to comment directly on the detentions. “I am not aware of what you just mentioned,” he said in response to a question on the matter.

Officially atheist, the Communist Party has long kept a tight leash on religious groups, wary of their ability to galvanize the masses. During a recent visit to Tibet, Chinese President Xi Jinping stressed the need to continue the “Sinicization” of religion, a program that integrates beliefs and customs with Chinese culture and political ideology.

The government recognizes Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Protestant Christianity and Catholicism, but only groups belonging to one of the five state-sanctioned “patriotic religious associations” are officially allowed to hold worship services, according to a 2022 report by the US State Department. The report cited religious groups and non-governmental organizations as saying authorities continue to assert control over religious groups, with allegations of harassment, detentions, disappearances, torture and death.

Source: Bloomberg