China Aid
Recent News About China Aid
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Churches participate in National Day celebration promoting sinicization
Three churches in Jilin, China, registered with the government, participated in an early National Day performance organized by religious circles in the county. The performers sang patriotic "red" songs. More than 100 churches in the county watched the performance.
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Pastor Zhou Songlin and Elder Ding Zhongfu face fraud charges amid legal dispute
(Hefei, Anhui Province – July 1, 2024) The case against Pastor Zhou Songlin and Elder Ding Zhongfu of Hefei Ganquan Church, charged with suspicion of "fraud," has recently been filed in court. The defense lawyers provided a detailed legal analysis, arguing that Ding Zhongfu and Zhou Songlin did not engage in any deceptive behavior as defined by the Criminal Law of the People’s Republic of China. They contend that there was no intention to illegally possess believers' property and that no misunderstanding arose among the believers due to any actions by Ding and Zhou. The...
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Crackdowns on house churches across China result in multiple detentions
(Beijing – June 28, 2024) According to the “China at 5 PM” Kingdom Prayer Meeting, house churches across China have recently faced crackdowns. The latest news is that eight male believers from a house church in Zhuzhou City, Hunan Province, were administratively detained for “continuing activities in the name of a banned organization.” Four were detained for three days, three for five days, and one for ten days.
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Christian sentenced in China for organizing illegal gatherings
Chen Wensheng, a Christian from Hengyang, Hunan, has been sentenced to 1 year and 7 months in prison for organizing and funding illegal gatherings. The verdict was announced on June 20, 2024.
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Rural preacher appeals conviction citing flaws in judgment and procedural violations
Chang Hao, a rural preacher from Zhenxiong, Yunnan, has filed an appeal against the first-instance judgment of the Zhenxiong Court in his case of "provocations and causing trouble." He contends that the judgment is flawed due to unclear facts, insufficient evidence, incorrect application of law, and significant procedural violations. On May 20, 2024, he appealed to the Intermediate People’s Court of Zhaotong City, Yunnan Province.
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Pastor Sun Hongguang detained during service at Holy Covenant True Word Church
On June 16, 2024, Pastor Sun Hongguang of the Holy Covenant True Word Church in Yanji City, Jilin Province, was taken away during Sunday worship and later administratively detained for five days on the grounds of illegal gathering. The last time Pastor Sun Hongguang faced a similar incident was on February 12, 2023. During that instance, he went to Hefei to serve a local house church and was taken away by local police during Sunday worship. Although released later that day, his computer was confiscated and he was instructed not to leave Hefei temporarily.
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Pastor John Cao alleges surveillance by Chinese authorities
ChinaAid has reposted and translated the following update written by Pastor John Cao with permission from churchlist.xyz.
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Pastor Du Mingliang sentenced to five years for illegal border crossing
On June 16, 2024, the “China at 5 PM” kingdom prayer meeting specifically prayed for 76-year-old Pastor Du Mingliang of a house church in Xinzhou, Shanxi Province. It was recently learned that Pastor Du Mingliang was criminally detained on March 15, 2021, charged with organizing others to illegally cross the national border, and sentenced to five years.
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Shaanxi authorities spread rumors about Xi'an Fengsheng Church's financial practices
On June 11, 2024, Xi’an Fengsheng Church issued a statement to clarify and refute a rumor that has been circulating recently. The statement said that a rumor has been circulating in the church: the police found a large amount of cash at the pastors’ home of Xi’an Fengsheng Church, and the pastors have been involved in financial corruption; otherwise, they would not have been arrested.
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Chinese journalist warns after sharing prison testimony
Citizen journalist Zhang Zhan was released from Shanghai Women’s Prison on May 13 after serving four years for documenting and reporting on the Covid-19 outbreak in Wuhan. Recently, she was warned by Shanghai police not to touch the “red line.”
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Health concerns rise for detained Chinese pastor
On June 8, 2024, Yang Aiqing of Guiyang Renai Reformed Church disclosed on her WeChat Moments that her husband, Elder Zhang Chunlei, has been diagnosed with liver cirrhosis while in detention. She noted that prior to his imprisonment, he had no history of liver-related illnesses.
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Update on activist Jia Guoxi's prolonged detention
(Lanzhou, Gansu – June 14, 2024) There has been a recent update on Gansu-born pro-democracy activist Jia Guoxi, who has been under arrest by Chinese Communist Party authorities for more than five years since 2019. Jia Guoxi, a Christian who was baptized at a church from a background of Christian Assembly (then known as the Little Flock), was suddenly arrested by police in Yanggu County, Shandong Province, on June 11, 2019. The reason for his arrest is unknown, and he was detained at the Yanggu County Detention Center in Shandong Province on suspicion of “inciting subversion...
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Henan pushes for sinicized Christian weddings and funerals amid rising concerns
As Chinese officials continue to push for the Sinicization of religion, the official "Two organizations of Christianity/Lianghui" (The National Committee of the Three-Self Patriotic Movement of the Protestant Churches in China and The China Christian Council) of Henan Province is attempting to sinicize Christian wedding and funeral rites. Concerns have been raised that this effort aims to limit current liturgical elements of Christianity while incorporating Chinese folklore or superstitious elements, or even political components.
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Church member detained over social media posts commemorating June Fourth
On June 4, 2024, Fu Lijun, a member of the Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, was detained by Chengdu State Security Police. Sources indicate that his detention was due to messages he posted on WeChat Moments in the early morning hours of June 4th. These messages included music commemorating the events of June 4th and a prayer for the nation.
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Cardinal calls for forgiveness on Tiananmen Square's 35th anniversary
(Hong Kong – June 11, 2024) On the eve of the 35th anniversary of “June Fourth,” Cardinal Stephen Chow Sau-Yan, the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong, issued an article titled “It is this time of year…” addressing Hong Kong citizens and victims. Chow stated, "Even though the pain of 35 years ago lingers and is not forgotten, we hope for closure. We believe that through forgiveness, reconciliation, and healing, it is possible to achieve this." He emphasized that forgiveness does not mean forgetting.
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Christian woman denies fraud claims against pastors amidst legal challenges
On the evening of May 23, 2024, Qin Wen, a Christian from Xi’an Church of Abundance identified as a "victim" by the police, issued an open prayer letter stating that all her money was donated to God and that she was not defrauded by the pastors. Qin Wen has hired a defense lawyer to prove that she is not a victim. However, the work of the defense lawyer has faced significant obstacles. The Baqiao District Court in Xi’an has used various excuses to prevent the defense lawyer from legally reviewing files and copying discs.
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Hong Kong diocese suspends June 4th memorials amid national security law concerns
The Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong has suspended June 4th memorials for the third consecutive year, marking a significant halt in commemorations of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre. This decision aligns with growing concerns over compliance with the Hong Kong National Security Law.
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Persecution continues for Early Rain Covenant Church deacons
Deacon Jia Xuewei of the Chengdu Early Rain Covenant Church has been evicted from his rented house in Wenjiang District, Chengdu City, after less than ten days due to his Christian identity. The church reports that Jia has faced multiple hardships, including detentions and beatings by government authorities. Recently, police harassment forced him to terminate his lease, rendering him homeless once again.
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Authorities use tactics against Hefei Ganquan Church leaders
(Hefei, Anhui Province – June 5, 2024) The case against Pastor Zhou Songlin and Elder Ding Zhongfu of the Hefei Ganquan Church in Anhui, who were charged with "fraud" due to their faith, has recently been filed with the court. To date, they have been detained for more than half a year, and other believers of the church are still being questioned and threatened by the police, demanding that they accuse their own pastors.
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Tiananmen Square protests remembered globally on 35th anniversary
On June 4, 2024, people worldwide remember the lives lost in the Tiananmen Square protests 35 years ago. ChinaAid continues to push for justice and rule of law in China, aligning with the ideals of those democracy-minded students.