    [Joint House and Senate Hearing, 119 Congress]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]

                            CHINA'S WAR ON RELIGION:
                        THE THREAT TO RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
                               AND WHY IT MATTERS
                              TO THE UNITED STATES

    =======================================================================

                                    HEARING

                                   BEFORE THE

                  CONGRESSIONAL-EXECUTIVE COMMISSION ON CHINA

                        ONE HUNDRED NINETEENTH CONGRESS

                                 FIRST SESSION

                                   __________

                               NOVEMBER 20, 2025

                                   __________

     Printed for the use of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China

     [GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

                  Available at www.cecc.gov or www.govinfo.gov

                                    __________

                       U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
    62-143 PDF                  WASHINGTON : 2026

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                  CONGRESSIONAL-EXECUTIVE COMMISSION ON CHINA

                        LEGISLATIVE BRANCH COMMISSIONERS

    Senate                                     House

    DAN SULLIVAN, Alaska, Chair          CHRIS SMITH, New Jersey, Co-chair
    TOM COTTON, Arkansas                 ZACHARY NUNN, Iowa
    JEFF MERKLEY, Oregon                 ELISE STEFANIK, New York
    TAMMY DUCKWORTH, Illinois            DALE STRONG, Alabama
    ANDY KIM, New Jersey                 JEN KIGGANS, Virginia
    LISA BLUNT ROCHESTER, Delaware       JAMES P. McGOVERN, Massachusetts
                                         THOMAS SUOZZI, New York
                                         SUHAS SUBRAMANYAM, Virginia

                         EXECUTIVE BRANCH COMMISSIONERS

                                To be appointed

                          Scott Flipse, Staff Director

                       Piero Tozzi, Deputy Staff Director

                                      (ii)

                                C O N T E N T S

                                  ----------

                                   Statements

    Opening Statement of Hon. Dan Sullivan, a U.S. Senator from
      Alaska; Chair, Congressional-Executive Commission on China.....     1
    Statement of Hon. Chris Smith, a Representative from New Jersey
      and Co-chair, Congressional-Executive Commission on China......     3
    Statement of Hon. Jeff Merkley, a Senator from Oregon............     5
    Statement of Hon. James P. McGovern, a Representative from
      Massachusetts..................................................     5
    Statement of Sam Brownback, Ambassador at Large for International
      Religious Freedom (2018-2021), Governor of Kansas (2011-2018),
      U.S.
      Senator (1996-2011)............................................     8
    Statement of Ismail ``Ma Ju'' Juma, Hui Muslim human rights
      advocate.......................................................    10
    Statement of Bhuchung K. Tsering, leader, International Campaign
      for Tibet Research and Monitoring Unit.........................    12
    Statement of Bob Fu, founder and president, ChinaAid.............    14
    Statement of Grace Jin Drexel, daughter of Pastor Ezra Jin.......    15

                                    APPENDIX
                              Prepared Statements

    Brownback, Ambassador Sam........................................    31
    Juma, Ismail.....................................................    34
    Tsering, Bhuchung K..............................................    36
    Fu, Bob..........................................................    41
    Drexel, Grace Jin................................................    65

    Sullivan, Hon. Dan...............................................    69
    Smith, Hon. Chris................................................    70
    McGovern, Hon. James P...........................................    71

                           Submissions for the Record

    Questions for the Record from Hon. Dan Sullivan and Hon. Dale
      Strong.........................................................    73
    Statement of His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, Tenzin
      Gyatso,
      affirming the continuation of the institution of Dalai Lama,
      July 2, 2025,
      submitted by Bob Fu............................................    79
    Statement of His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, Tenzin
      Gyatso, on the issue of his reincarnation, September 24, 2011,
      submitted by Bob Fu............................................    81
    Translation of oral statement of Bob Fu (Chinese)................    91
    ``CCP's Growing Threats to Religious Freedom in Hong Kong,'' by
      Frances Hui, Policy and Advocacy Coordinator, Committee for
      Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation................................    95
    Statement of Cynthia Sun and Danielle Wang, Falun Dafa Info
      Center.........................................................   101
    ``The Situation Facing the Catholic Church in China,'' by Nina
      Shea, Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute, and Director of its
      Center for Religious Freedom...................................   109
    ``The U.S. Response to China's War on Uyghurs,'' by Omer Kanat,
      Executive Director, Uyghur Human Rights Project................   117

    CECC Truth in Testimony Disclosure Form..........................   125
    Witness Biographies..............................................   126

                                     (iii)

                            CHINA'S WAR ON RELIGION:
                        THE THREAT TO RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
                               AND WHY IT MATTERS
                              TO THE UNITED STATES

                                  ----------

                          THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2025

                                Congressional-Executive
                                           Commission on China,
                                                        Washington, DC.
        The hearing was held from 9:32 a.m. to 11:13 a.m., in room
    106, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, DC, Senator
    Dan
    Sullivan, Chair, Congressional-Executive Commission on China,
    presiding.
        Also present: Representative Smith, Co-chair, Senator
    Merkley, and Representatives McGovern and Kiggans.

      OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. DAN SULLIVAN, A U.S. SENATOR FROM
       ALASKA; CHAIR, CONGRESSIONAL-EXECUTIVE COMMISSION ON CHINA

        Chair Sullivan. The Commission will come to order. Thank
    you to our witnesses and to all who are following this hearing
    online. I want to thank my fellow commissioners, Senators, and
    Congressmen, a bipartisan group, by the way--a very important
    part of this Commission's history. Today's message is
    straightforward: The Chinese Communist Party, the CCP, is
    waging a systematic campaign to bend every faith in China to
    Party rule. CCP authorities aim for the complete subordination
    of religious belief to state ideology, re-engineering doctrine,
    leadership, education, architecture, and even online worship.
    The CCP is not content to police behavior. It wants to control
    the conscience and intrude on the most powerful and personal
    relationship there is--the one individuals have with God.
        The title of this hearing asks, Why does religious freedom
    in China matter to the United States? We certainly want to hear
    our witnesses answer this question, and we have a very
    distinguished panel here. But let me offer one reason why this
    hearing matters, by reading part of a sermon by detained Pastor
    Wang Yi, who met with President George W. Bush in the Oval
    Office in 2006 and was just awarded one of NED's highest
    prizes. In one of his last sermons before being detained,
    Pastor Yi said, ``The rulers of this country are waging a war
    in the Uyghur region, in Tibet, in Shanghai, in Beijing. And
    the rulers who are waging this war have chosen for themselves
    an enemy that can never be imprisoned, an enemy that can never
    be destroyed, an enemy that can never be controlled or
    subdued--namely, the soul of human beings.''
        Pastor Wang Yi may now be in prison, but he and millions of
    others like him are not subdued. That is why this hearing
    matters. Not just for one community or one country or one
    faith, but for the defense of human dignity and conscience
    everywhere. The CCP wants believers in China to feel isolated
    and forgotten. Our responsibility is to show them, and to show
    Beijing, that they are neither. There are currently 1,647
    documented religious cases in the CECC's Political Prisoner
    Database, though that number may be 10 times higher when we
    consider all those detained in the Uyghur region. At least a
    dozen bishops and priests from my own Catholic Church and
    Catholic faith are detained. We have documented imprisonment,
    torture, and worse for such simple acts as owning a prayer
    book, growing a beard, or gathering for worship.
        My mother was a very devout Catholic. Very early on in the
    1980s--it's a long story--but she went to the Soviet Union on a
    trip. My courageous mom brought a bunch of Bibles to hand out
    to the long-suffering people of Russia. Courageous. My mom's no
    longer with me today, but that was one of the stories I told at
    her funeral. Courageous Catholic, bringing the faith to
    starving Russians who longed for the faith and couldn't get it.
    And she brought them small Bibles.
        Freedom of religion is under assault worldwide. Witness
    what is happening in Nigeria. But nowhere is the scale of the
    threat greater than in China. There are an estimated 500
    million in China whose faith traditions face some form of
    restriction or control. Think about that number, 500 million.
    And the CCP's grip on religion does not end at its borders.
    Through transnational repression, it harasses exiled believers,
    infiltrates religious communities abroad, and intimidates
    diaspora groups to remain silent. Some of our witnesses have
    personal experience with intimidation or transnational
    repression right here in America. Since Xi Jinping came to
    power, he has pushed an aggressive agenda to roll back what
    little space for independent religion once existed and to
    assert CCP dominance over all aspects of religious life.
        Christian pastors are prosecuted for fraud for accepting
    charity, Uyghur Muslims are punished for reading the Qur'an at
    home, Tibetan Buddhists are targeted for honoring the Dalai
    Lama. Falun Gong practitioners are tortured for peaceful
    meditation the Party cannot control. Across China, the Party
    has closed churches, imprisoned pastors and priests, and
    ordered the removal of Islamic and Tibetan Buddhist symbols
    from buildings. We're here today because the right to believe
    according to one's own conscience is not a privilege government
    may grant or withhold. It is a universal human right, central
    to human dignity and human flourishing. We now know that
    religious freedom is a critical element in societies that are
    stable and prosperous.
        Our own history, from the earliest colonies to the First
    Amendment, reflects a simple truth--societies are freer,
    fairer, and more stable when people are free to worship, to
    practice their faith, and to live, speak, and act according to
    their beliefs. The CCP fears the power of faith because it is a
    source of values and moral authority it cannot control. That is
    why it demands that crosses come down and portraits of Xi
    Jinping go up. It is why Catholic priests must preach party
    slogans alongside sacred texts. It is why so many religious
    leaders and religious believers are jailed. To the CCP, faith
    is not just a challenge, it is an existential threat to its
    grip on power, and why it must be controlled or destroyed.
    These brave witnesses at our hearing today send a message to
    China that the U.S. Congress takes note. We are watching. The
    soul of these human beings will not be subdued.
        I want to next turn to my co-chairman, Chairman Smith, for
    his opening statement. Then I will also ask Senator Merkley and
    Representative McGovern to make a statement, if they so choose.
    Gentlemen, thank you, and again, to our courageous witnesses,
    thank you very much.
        [The prepared statement of Chair Sullivan appears in the
    Appendix.]

     STATEMENT OF HON. CHRIS SMITH, A U.S. REPRESENTATIVE FROM NEW
                  JERSEY AND CO-CHAIR, CONGRESSIONAL-
                     EXECUTIVE COMMISSION ON CHINA

        Co-chair Smith. Mr. Chairman, thank you so very much for
    convening this very important hearing, and for the sense of
    urgency you and our distinguished witnesses are bringing to the
    further deterioration of religious freedom in the People's
    Republic of China. I say ``urgent'' because the Chinese
    Communist Party, directed by General Secretary Xi Jinping, is
    engaged in one of the most extensive crackdowns on the
    Protestant Christian house church in 40 years. I also say
    urgent because, as I look around the room, I see friends and so
    many loved ones who have people who are either languishing in
    prison or under house arrest. I look at Bob Fu. I mean, Bob Fu
    has been a mentor to me personally, to my Subcommittee on Human
    Rights, and to this Commission, for decades, speaking truth to
    power eloquently and effectively, giving us so many insights--
    and that goes for many of us in the House and Senate as well.
        I remember Frank Wolf and I, just parenthetically, were
    once in Beijing meeting with house church leaders. Who were we
    talking to on the line? Bob Fu from the embassy, as well as
    from the van, getting further insight. So, Bob, thank you so
    much. And of course, Ambassador Sam Brownback, who has
    literally written the book on how--writing a book right now--on
    how to combat this and to make it clear. What an ambassador at
    large Sam Brownback has been, and his voice is incredibly
    important. All of you have made such a difference. Sam, thank
    you.
        I would note again, parenthetically, you mentioned, Mr.
    Chairman, about Nigeria. Through a little snafu in scheduling,
    I'm chairing a hearing on Nigeria at 11. So I'm going to have
    to leave. But Sam testified at our last hearing on that and
    made powerful statements about how not just Christians, but
    Muslims are being killed, as the President just said,
    conferring CPC status on Nigeria. And how very eloquently Sam
    did it. This is an existential threat to the Christians, but
    it's also the Muslims who are being killed if they don't
    comport to Boko Haram and others. So Sam, thank you for that.
    And we'll be doing more. We look forward to your voice at
    future hearings to defend that.
        At its core, religious freedom is about the right of
    conscience--what George Washington called that little spark of
    celestial fire which is the inviolable domain of the heart of
    every human being. I'm proud to say that--working with Mr.
    McGovern as well as Senator Merkley--we've chaired 14 hearings
    on religious freedom, or the lack of it, in China. I've worked
    with my friends--and you, Chairman, are doing a great job, and
    I do thank you--we all do--for that. When we say religious
    freedom is a universal human right, it's because it's
    guaranteed by a sovereign God who created human beings in his
    own image and likeness, and imbued in all of us an inalienable
    dignity and worth whether we were born in Washington or Wuhan.
    It is thus not a Western construct but a universal one.
        Yet the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party,
    leader of the world's largest atheistic state, would force his
    own people to think otherwise. He would have the Chinese people
    believe that religious freedom is not for them, that religion
    itself is not for them, because the Party that he leads is
    terrified of religious faith. They fear and they're scared of
    any moral or spiritual authority outside the control of the
    Party. And they punish worship of anyone but Xi Jinping.
    Instead, the Chinese Communist Party wants to take control over
    the heart, mind, and spirit of each citizen of China. And one
    particularly ludicrous, yet equally insidious, example--in
    September, the Cyberspace Administration of China launched a
    two-month Clear and Bright Campaign that polices pessimism and
    negative emotions, among other thought crimes. I mean, this is
    theater of the absurd. It's also totalitarianism, pure and
    simple. And totalitarian governments cannot abide freedom of
    religion or belief, yet they cannot extinguish it. The church,
    the believers, the Uyghurs, the Falun Gong practitioners, the
    Tibetan Buddhists, all of them redouble their efforts to move
    forward in their faith tradition. And this Commission, and this
    Congress, and our country, and so many others do everything we
    can to help them.
        When authorities shut down the Zion Church in Beijing, then
    one of the city's largest, Pastor Ezra Jin took the church
    nationwide by moving online, reaching more people than it ever
    could have before. We are proud to have as one of our witnesses
    Pastor Jin's daughter, Grace, who worked for the CECC. We thank
    her for her tremendous insight and leadership, and her father
    is another great hero.
        In Fujian province, authorities confined underground
    Catholic Bishop Guo Xijin to his residence. And how did he
    respond? He joyfully celebrated the 40th anniversary of his
    priestly ordination by serving communion to pilgrims through
    the bars of the chained gate outside his home. I mean,
    irrepressible--will not give up. We need to stand in solidarity
    with him and everyone like him. These are only a few examples.
    We will continue on this Commission, I know, to push hard for
    religious freedom.
        Again, we are inspired and informed by these tremendous
    witnesses, Mr. Chairman, that you have assembled for this
    hearing. I look forward to their testimony. I regret that I
    will have to leave to chair the other hearing at 11, so I
    apologize in advance.
        [The prepared statement of Co-chair Smith appears in the
    Appendix.]
        Chair Sullivan. Thank you, Chairman Smith.
        Now to my other co-chair, Senator Merkley.

                    STATEMENT OF HON. JEFF MERKLEY,
                       A U.S. SENATOR FROM OREGON

        Senator Merkley. Thanks so much, Mr. Chairman. I'm always
    humbled when I'm at these gatherings because our witnesses have
    experienced so much in their personal lives, their families,
    often their community, in terms of the challenges that they
    have faced carrying the torch of religious freedom. I'm
    particularly delighted to have a couple of you back who have
    Senate connections. Senator Brownback--then became an
    ambassador but certainly served here with distinction. Good to
    have you back, Ambassador. And Grace, as mentioned by my
    colleague, Congressman Smith, worked on this very Commission,
    this Congressional-Executive Commission on China. So she is in
    that place of carrying both the academic knowledge portfolio
    but also the very personal advocacy with her family so affected
    by the crackdown on religion in China.
        We have seen such suppression and oppression directed
    against Christian congregations and leaders in China. We have
    seen oppression against the Muslims and the genocide against
    the Uyghurs in Xinjiang. We've seen the attempted erasure of
    Tibetan culture and Buddhist religious practice. Under
    President Xi's sinicization campaign, the Chinese government is
    using pressure and coercion to do all they can to extinguish
    religious communities and suppress the human soul. The U.S. has
    in our very founding the aspiration for religious freedom, a
    spirit we have carried for centuries. Certainly it brings us to
    this type of advocacy today, for religious freedom not just
    here in the United States but around the world. So welcome. And
    like my colleague, we have another hearing on China upstairs at
    the Foreign Relations Committee related to Taiwan. I apologize
    I'll not be able to be here for the full testimony, but I will
    be reading it all, hearing about it from my team, and
    partnering with you as we go forward. Thank you.
        [The prepared statement of Senator Merkley appears in the
    Appendix.]
        Chair Sullivan. Great. Thank you, Senator Merkley.
        Congressman McGovern.

                  STATEMENT OF HON. JAMES P. McGOVERN,
                A U.S. REPRESENTATIVE FROM MASSACHUSETTS

        Representative McGovern. Well, thank you. Good morning,
    everybody. I want to thank Chair Sullivan and Co-chair Smith
    for convening this important hearing. I want to thank Senator
    Merkley and Representative Strong for their leadership on these
    issues as well. You know, we have different political
    philosophies, but we are together in championing human rights
    and religious freedom. Religious freedom has been at the core
    of the Commission's work since its founding, and it has been
    the subject of numerous hearings and well-documented reporting.
    I understand that the 2025 annual report is close to
    finalization, and I look forward to its publication so that all
    members can benefit from its analysis and its recom-
    mendations. I commend the dedicated nonpartisan staff of the
    Commission for their hard work in getting this 300-plus-page
    report researched, written, and released. It's a lot of work,
    and it's good work. And it's important work.
        Religious freedom is protected under Article 18 of the
    International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which
    affirms that every person has the right to freedom of thought,
    conscience, and religion. In the United States, it is protected
    by the First Amendment to the Constitution. Congress shall make
    no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting
    the free exercise thereof. We Americans are very proud of this
    protection of our rights. As a practicing Catholic, I feel a
    deep personal connection to the right to worship and believe
    according to one's conscience. Defense of this fundamental
    right in both national and international law is essential to
    our work as public servants.
        China's constitution also provides that the state cannot
    compel citizens to believe in or not to believe in any religion
    or discriminate against citizens who believe in or do not
    believe in any religion. But, as we will hear today, such
    protection is honored in the breach. They don't respect that.
    They don't follow it. This is a reminder that even the
    strongest constitutional provisions on paper cannot protect
    citizens' rights if those in power choose to disregard them for
    political ends. You know, in 2022 I was honored to co-chair
    this Commission's hearing on how Chinese authorities were
    expanding digital tools to surveil and suppress online
    religious expression. I am pleased that today's witnesses will
    update us on the PRC's policies and tactics for coercive
    control of religion and their impact on individuals and
    communities.
        I welcome Ambassador Sam Brownback, who headed the State
    Department's International Religious Freedom Office and remains
    a powerful leader in the field. I look forward to the testimony
    of those who will speak to the experiences of Hui Muslims,
    Christians, and Tibetans under the PRC's ongoing repression. In
    July, several U.N. special rapporteurs and working groups
    issued a statement on the Chinese government's interference in
    the succession of the Dalai Lama, and the enforced
    disappearance of the 11th Panchen Lama, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima.
    This is a U.S. priority, as Senator Marco Rubio and I put into
    law in the Tibetan Policy and Support Act.
        We will also hear very personal testimony. Last month,
    Chinese authorities launched a multicity crackdown on the
    unregistered Zion Church and detained several individuals,
    including Pastor Ezra Jin. Many of us condemned this violation.
    His daughter, Grace Jin Drexel, joins us today to speak about
    her father and call for his release. Grace was recently a staff
    member at the CECC, helping raise awareness about prisoners of
    conscience persecuted for their faith. Now her own father is
    one. We stand with Grace and her family and join in their call.
    We must commit our voices loudly and clearly to defend the
    rights of those targeted for exercising their right to freedom
    of thought, conscience, and belief, but to be effective, our
    voices must carry moral credibility. I worry that we are not
    living up to what is expected of us. The United States is best
    when we lead by example. When we do not, we do a disservice to
    those overseas we are trying to help.
        Earlier this week--you may have read this in the news--
    congregants of a church in Charlotte, North Carolina scattered
    into the woods when masked Federal agents arrived and detained
    one of their members. The church has suspended services until
    members feel safe to gather again without the threat of Border
    Patrol raids. In July, the Bishop of the Diocese of San
    Bernardino, California told 1.2 million people in his diocese
    to stay home from mass on Sundays to avoid being questioned or
    detained by ICE. I spoke with three Catholic bishops yesterday
    who, again, reinforced the concern that they have about members
    of their church being afraid to go to church. Ayman Soliman,
    who fled persecution in Egypt and served as a chaplain at the
    Cincinnati Children's Hospital, spent two and a half months in
    ICE detention.
        So our message to the Chinese government is that it is
    wrong for them to round up members of the Zion Church, to force
    worshipers to go underground, and to put clergy in jail. Our
    voice would have much more credibility if our own government
    were not acting in a similar way. The freedom of thought,
    conscience, and religion is universal. This right exists
    regardless of one's beliefs or national or citizenship status,
    so let us be clear and consistent in this message that we are
    sending to the people of China.
        Again I thank you, Mr. Chairman, for your leadership. I
    yield back my time.
        [The prepared statement of Representative McGovern appears
    in the Appendix.]
        Chair Sullivan. Thank you, Congressman McGovern.
        Now it is my honor to introduce our distinguished panel.
    Let me begin with a very distinguished American, Ambassador Sam
    Brownback. It's hard to figure out whether to call him
    Ambassador, Governor, Senator. He's held all these positions.
    Very, very impressive. He served as the Ambassador at Large for
    International Religious Freedom from February 2018 to January
    2021, where he was the State Department's chief diplomat on the
    issue of protecting the right to religious liberty around the
    world. He served as Governor of Kansas from 2011 to 2018.
    Ambassador Brownback currently serves as a co-chair of the
    International Religious Freedom Summit and chairman of the
    National Committee for Religious Freedom.
        Next we have Mr. Ismail Juma. Mr. Juma is a human rights
    activist with a background in the study of religious history.
    He fled China with his family in 2011 after being detained by
    PRC authorities. As the founder of Hope Umbrella International
    Foundation, he works to protect freedom seekers, assist new
    immigrants, and foster reconciliation between different ethnic
    and religious groups.
        Our next distinguished witness is Bhuchung Tsering. Mr.
    Tsering was born in Tibet. His family fled to India in 1960 in
    the wake of the Chinese Communist invasion. He studied in India
    and worked as a journalist before joining the Central Tibetan
    Administration and serving in the offices of the Dalai Lama. He
    currently leads the Research and Monitoring Unit at the
    International Campaign for Tibet, where he has worked since
    1995. He was awarded the Truman-Reagan Freedom Medal by the
    Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation in 2023.
        Our next witness is Mr. Bob Fu. Dr. Fu was a student leader
    during the Tiananmen Square demonstrations in 1989. Dr. Fu led
    a house church in Beijing until he and his wife were imprisoned
    for ``illegal evangelicalism.'' They fled to the United States
    as religious refugees, founding ChinaAid in 2002 to shine light
    on China's human rights abuses and to promote religious freedom
    in China. Dr. Fu currently serves as the Family Research
    Council's senior fellow for international religious freedom. He
    is the author of ``God's Double Agent.''
        Finally, Grace Jin Drexel. I had the honor of meeting Grace
    a couple weeks ago here in the U.S. Senate. She is the daughter
    of Pastor Mingri Ezra Jin of Zion Church in China, one of the
    country's largest and most influential houses of worship. In
    October 2025, Pastor Jin and dozens of other leaders were
    detained as part of the largest crackdown against independent
    house churches in the last 40 years. Grace has been advocating
    for her father ever since. She serves as a national security
    research analyst in the U.S. Senate and previously worked for
    this Commission on China issues.
        Welcome to all our witnesses. For each we will have a 5-
    minute opening statement. If you have a longer statement, a
    written statement, we will certainly put that in the record. We
    begin with Ambassador Brownback.

          STATEMENT OF SAM BROWNBACK, AMBASSADOR AT LARGE FOR
    INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM (2018-2021), GOVERNOR OF KANSAS
                 (2011-2018), U.S. SENATOR (1996-2011)

        Ambassador Brownback. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
    I'm honored to be here, and honored to be with you all and to
    see several of you I've worked with for many, many years. It's
    been important work and maybe no more important than now. I
    think that the ground that you've laid on dealing with China,
    and now in our conflict with China, this is important for us to
    really move forward in our policy.
        What I'm going to suggest today is that we really take a
    shift in our strategy toward religious freedom. I think for too
    long we've looked at it mostly as a human rights issue, and
    often kind of a boutique human rights issue, not really a
    central one. To me now and in our conflict with China, this is
    a national security issue. It's a national security imperative.
    And we need to shift our thinking away from, ``This is a human
    rights issue'' to ``This is a national security issue'' and put
    it really and squarely in that category. China is at war with
    faith. And it's at war with us. We should unequivocally and
    clearly be on the side of their opponents. We should stand, and
    stand clearly, with them.
        I think it's also quite clear that China fears religious
    freedom far more than they fear our aircraft carriers or our
    nuclear weapons. They're far more concerned. They spend
    billions of dollars annually harassing everybody up and down
    the line. I just finished a book that's at the publishers on
    China's war on faith. They treat everybody the same. You will
    either submit to us or we're going to eliminate you. You
    choose, but it's one of the two. And Xi Jinping is God, not
    whoever you're believing in. And the stories are very, very
    consistent on this. So I look at religious freedom, honestly,
    as our greatest weapon in this battle that we're in today. And
    China's weakness is their governance. We really need to take
    this into our strategy.
        So that's what I'm putting forward here today. My
    recommendations are that we make religious freedom in China a
    part of our national security objectives toward China, and we
    develop a national security strategy for the U.S. and other
    nations to support religious freedom inside of China. Use
    economic sanctions, like in the Frank Wolf International
    Religious Freedom Act, toward China. They've been a CPC country
    since we started that designation. They've not paid a cent for
    that--not a cent. We should ask President Trump, Vice President
    Vance, Secretary of State Rubio, Secretary of Defense Hegseth
    to meet with exiled leaders from the various communities that
    have been persecuted--the Falun Gong, Christians, Muslims, the
    Buddhist community.
        And then specifically in these communities--I would just
    say, like Falun Gong, the Chinese Communist Party fears Falun
    Gong more than anybody. And I've puzzled at that for the
    longest time, why? But it's the most indigenous of all of them.
    It's like sowing wheat on the Kansas soil. It just grows.
    They've got to 90 million adherents in seven years. Well, that
    scares the pants off of the Chinese Communist Party. So we
    should really be working with them. The Falun Gong has a
    registry of millions of people that have left the Chinese
    Communist Party.
        I think we should do the following: Recognize a genocide
    against the Falun Gong being done by the Chinese government.
    They have sought to wipe them out. Meet with key leaders that
    are in exile to support their right to religious freedom in
    China, Falun Gong members, and support their effort to break
    the great Chinese internet firewall, which many of us have been
    about for a long time. Christians, we obviously need to
    strongly advocate for the release of people like Pastor Ezra
    Jin of the Zion Church, Pastor Wang Yi, who is really the
    Martin Luther King, Jr. of China. His statements from jail have
    been poetic. They're beautiful. And the 10 Catholic bishops
    that Nina Shea identified in an article, that are imprisoned or
    held somewhere in China. Ten bishops. And what do we hear about
    it? Do people even know they're arrested?
        We should also encourage private sector entities with
    significant ties to China to advocate for prisoners of
    conscience and human rights lawyers. Groups like the NBA,
    Hollywood, major businesses. Tibetan Buddhists, there is a
    cultural genocide in Tibet going on today, and we need to call
    it out. We should categorically reject China's government's
    claim to the right to appoint the next Dalai Lama. Talk about
    something that's ridiculous. Send Vice President Vance or
    Secretary Rubio to Dharamshala to meet with the Dalai Lama. I
    believe we should announce our support for the Dalai Lama's
    Middle Way approach.
        For Tibet, genuine autonomy for Tibet within China. Now, I
    have significant doubts that this will work, but if China will
    not agree to this within a set period of time, say 60 days, we
    should announce our recognition of an independent Tibet. If
    they're not going to go with this route that he's put forward,
    we should announce our support for an independent Tibet. Tibet,
    and for that matter Xinjiang, has never been a part of China,
    no more than Kazakhstan or Uzbekistan were a part of Russia.
    They never were. They never have been. And we should call this
    out.
        For the Uyghurs, they've been moved from forced labor,
    confinement, incarceration, from concentration camps to forced
    labor. Same incarceration, different setting. Transnational
    repression. We've got to pass legislation to address
    transnational repression and prosecute people that have done
    it. We should start addressing Xinjiang as East Turkestan in
    our government documents. It's not new frontier for China. It's
    East Turkestan. And we should aggressively enforce our laws
    against the use of forced labor.
        In summary, it's time to support religious freedom inside
    China. We've noted it for a long time. And we've got to get
    past it. And Mr. Chairman, I would submit for the record a map
    of China that was put in The Washington Examiner that actually
    shows what China looks like, map-wise, when you take East
    Turkestan, Tibet, and the occupied territories out. I think we
    need to start showing this. Sorry I went over my time.
        [The prepared statement of Ambassador Brownback appears in
    the Appendix.]
        Chair Sullivan. Without objection. Thank you, Ambassador
    Brownback.
        Our next witness we want to hear from is Mr. Ma Ju.

                       STATEMENT OF ISMAIL JUMA,
                    HUI MUSLIM HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCATE

        Mr. Ma. Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you
    today. It is an honor and a solemn responsibility to speak on
    behalf of tens of millions in China who cannot speak for
    themselves.
        Interpreter. I will now read the prepared English statement
    from Mr. Ma Ju today.
        As a member of the more than 10 million Hui Muslims of
    China, and as a human rights advocate and survivor of religious
    persecution, I appear before you today to present a truth that
    has been systematically concealed. China's Muslim communities
    are facing the most severe, widespread, and systematically
    engineered crisis threatening their physical survival and basic
    freedom since 1949. On the CCP's reengineering project, many
    have misunderstood the CCP to be merely restricting religion.
    This is patently false. The CCP is a political organization
    founded on a commitment to eradicate all religion. Its doctrine
    views organized faith, moral systems, and independent community
    structures as existential threats to totalitarian control.
        When it does not yet possess the capacity to destroy
    religion outright, it restricts it. And when it does acquire
    the capacity, it moves to eliminate it without hesitation, just
    as it has done to NGOs and civic groups. Under the veneer of
    what is called a reengineering project, the CCP seeks to
    reshape faith into ideological appendages to the Party state
    and to stoke fear in Chinese communities in China and beyond.
    Across Ningxia, Gansu, Qinghai, Yunnan and other regions,
    thousands of mosques have had their domes demolished, minarets
    removed, Qur'anic inscriptions erased, and Arabic calligraphy
    scraped away. Many mosques have been forcibly converted into
    cultural plazas, civilization practice centers, interiors
    stripped of religious symbolism, exteriors sanitized.
        This is not merely physical destruction. It is surgical
    removal of the Muslim spiritual landscape. Acts that are
    entirely normal in Muslim societies are maligned and redefined
    as crimes, such as fasting under Ramadan, teaching the Qur'an
    privately, wearing a hijab or traditional attire, growing a
    religious beard, children learning at mosques, and family
    religious gatherings. These practices can result in police
    interrogation, fines, detention, or being sent to reeducation
    camps. This is a systematic project to redefine faith as
    illegal.
        On cultural eradication and the destruction of religious
    knowledge, the lifeblood of Hui, Uyghur, Kazakh, and other
    Muslim communities, and centuries-old Islamic educational
    tradition, have been deliberately dismantled. Imams arbitrarily
    have been detained or forced into political indoctrination.
    Arabic instructions have been severely restricted. Religious
    texts have been censored and rewritten. CCP-approved political
    reinterpretations of the Qur'an have been mandated. A people's
    deepest moral and cultural inheritance has been uprooted at its
    source. Repression in Xinjiang has also not ended; it's just
    become more covert. There's a dangerous misconception that
    repression in Xinjiang has eased. The truth is the repression
    has not stopped. It has evolved.
        What was once mass internment has transformed into
    pervasive surveillance and control. Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz,
    Hui, as well as Han Chinese who have converted to Islam,
    continue to endure forced labor, family separation, mosque
    demolitions, digital surveillance, reproductive restrictions,
    and stabilization policing systems. Xinjiang today exists in a
    reality of systematic totalitarian social engineering. The CCP
    also deploys digital tools and influence operations to
    intimidate overseas Muslims by monitoring them abroad through
    social media, by coordinating bot attacks and character
    assassination campaigns, using family members in China as
    hostages, and creating an atmosphere of fear in diaspora
    communities.
        A classic example, a respected Islamic scholar visiting
    Chinese Muslim migrants in Malaysia told them he planned to
    meet Mr. Ma Ju in the United States. Their reaction was a
    mixture of excitement and dread. Their fear was simple. If
    their names appear alongside Mr. Juma in any report, their
    relatives in China would face retaliation. The fear is real,
    widespread, and rational.
        Why does this matter to the national interests of the
    United States? China's war on religion is not a domestic
    Chinese issue. It directly impacts American national security,
    values, and international standing. It strikes at the
    foundation of America's identity. If the world's largest
    authoritarian state can eradicate religious freedom without
    consequences, it undermines the authority of America's founding
    values and global leadership. CCP trans-
    national repression violates U.S. sovereignty. Their
    intimidation and surveillance of individuals in the U.S. is a
    direct assault on U.S. rule of law. It also weakens American
    standing within the Muslim world. Beijing is persecuting
    Muslims at home while courting Muslim majority countries
    abroad, reshaping geopolitical alignments to America's
    detriment.
        Digital surveillance and authoritarianism are new and
    growing threats. China's export of AI surveillance and
    religious profiling systems is transforming autocracies
    worldwide. Religious oppression is also fueling radicalization.
    Freedom of religion is a proven safeguard against extremism.
    Protecting Chinese Muslim religious freedom strengthens global
    and U.S. security. By preventing a global shift toward
    authoritarianism, if we are to allow the CCP's model to become
    a global norm, it will erode the international order and
    freedom.
        In conclusion, and apologies for going over time, Mr. Ma Ju
    today is speaking for those who cannot. He speaks today to
    honor those who have been silenced, to expose an ongoing system
    of religious persecution, to defend the universal right to
    religious freedom, and to urge the United States and the
    international community to act. If we remain silent today,
    tomorrow there will be no one left to speak. Thank you for your
    time.
        [The prepared statement of Ismail Juma appears in the
    Appendix.]
        Chair Sullivan. Thank you, Mr. Ma.
        Our next witness is Mr. Tsering.

        STATEMENT OF BHUCHUNG K. TSERING, LEADER, INTERNATIONAL
            CAMPAIGN FOR TIBET RESEARCH AND MONITORING UNIT

        Mr. Tsering. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would like to thank
    the CECC for giving me this opportunity to testify about
    China's religious policies in Tibet, and how it matters to the
    United States.
        Tibetan Buddhism is linked to the security of the Indian
    subcontinent through its historical ties and its cultural and
    ethnic connections across the Himalayan region. The cultural
    influence of Tibetan Buddhism in the Indian subcontinent has
    also been a factor in regional stability. The Indian
    subcontinent is also a major player in the Indo-Pacific region
    and matters to the United States due to its massive economic
    importance, strategic security interest, and its role in global
    stability and the rules-based order. I would like to submit my
    full text for the record and will summarize here.
        Chair Sullivan. Without objection.
        Mr. Tsering. Thank you. Opinion polls have clearly showed
    repeatedly here in the United States that the majority of
    Americans embrace His Holiness the Dalai Lama not just as a
    religious leader, but also as an international statesman.
    Americans have also shown that they care deeply about what
    happens in Tibet. And successive congresses and administrations
    have passed legislative initiatives on Tibet. China has been
    blatantly using Tibetan Buddhism as a vehicle to not only
    control the Tibetan people, but also to influence the
    international community, including citizens of India, Nepal,
    Bhutan, as well as here in the United States.
        Over the years, China has been increasing pressure on Nepal
    to restrict Tibetan religious activities, leading to a climate
    of fear and limited freedom for Tibetans there. Lhasa, the
    capital of Tibet, is a sacred place for pilgrimage for all
    followers of Tibetan Buddhism. The Chinese government is using
    access to Tibet and Lhasa to serve its political agenda.
    American citizens who wish to travel to Tibet, including
    Tibetan Americans, are being faced with obstruction by the
    Chinese government, while at the same time the Chinese allow a
    select group of journalists to go to Tibet and ful-
    fill China's narrative on Tibet and to serve it for its
    propaganda
    material.
        China not only restricts Tibetan religious freedom but also
    attempts to interfere in the activities of Tibetans and Tibet
    supporters abroad. In a report on Chinese transnational
    repression of Tibetan diaspora communities, the Tibetan Center
    for Human Rights and Democracy says China is attempting to
    control the actions of exiled Tibetans. Chinese authorities
    weaponize their relatives in Tibet by harming, threatening, or
    otherwise manipulating them. The looming threat resulting from
    ubiquitous surveillance also forces a constant feeling of
    unease that spreads fear and disempowers exiled communities.
        The head of the Central Tibetan Administration, Sikyong
    Penpa Tsering himself, said how, when he went to Australia, the
    Chinese government tried to obstruct him from having an
    interview by Australian TV. The Chinese government was not
    successful there. More egregiously, in July this year the
    Chinese authorities disappeared Zhang Yadi, a Chinese student
    and a follower of Tibetan Buddhism who had been advocating
    peacefully in France for Tibet and Tibetan rights. Zhang had
    been on a visit to China when she was disappeared in Yunnan.
    Reports indicate that she was taken away by state security
    officials and is being held incommunicado.
        The Chinese government's policy on Tibetan religion has
    moved from total destruction to one of control and annihilation
    of Tibetan identity. Over the years, the Chinese government has
    promulgated various regulations to bring Tibetan monasteries
    under tighter security control. The Buddhist Association of
    China is being used as a key instrument in this vehicle. China
    failed to place the current Dalai Lama under its control and is
    now trying to use the occasion of the next Dalai Lama to impose
    its authority on Tibet, now and in the future, by trying to
    claim authority--or the right--to the reincarnation of the
    Dalai Lama. They have done that in the case of the Panchen
    Lama, which they have failed to legitimize even today. The
    Chinese government interference with the Dalai Lama has clear
    geopolitical implications for many Tibetan Buddhist
    institutions here in the United States, and in the Indian
    subcontinent, and in Mongolia.
        I would like to end by making some recommendations. I would
    like to echo two of the recommendations by Ambassador Brownback
    about cultural genocide and about having Vice President Vance
    and Secretary Rubio visit Dharamshala to meet His Holiness. The
    Trump administration should implement the TPSA, other
    legislation, and sanction Chinese authorities who deny Tibetan
    religious freedom. They should engage multilaterally with other
    countries on Tibetan religious freedom. They should demand the
    release of Tibetan political prisoners, including the 11th
    Panchen Lama and Zhang Yadi. China should stop transnational
    repression. They should stop denying Tibetans their religious
    freedom. But more important, they should resolve the Tibetan
    issue politically. As Ambassador Brownback said, if they don't
    do that, merely making superficial changes will not be a
    lasting solution for the Tibetan people. Tibet has served as a
    buffer in the past. If this is not resolved, it will continue
    to be a national security risk for American policy. Thank you
    very much.
        [The prepared statement of Bhuchung K. Tsering appears in
    the
    Appendix.]
        Chair Sullivan. Thank you, Mr. Tsering.
        Our next witness is Dr. Fu.

                          STATEMENT OF BOB FU,
                    FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT, CHINA AID

        Mr. Fu. Chairman Sullivan, Co-chair Smith, and Congressman
    McGovern, and distinguished panelists and friends, thank you
    for this opportunity to testify before you. I speak as a former
    prisoner of conscience and founder of ChinaAid, and an American
    citizen whose own family was targeted on U.S. soil by the CCP.
    China's war on faith has entered a new and dangerous phase. I
    totally agree with Ambassador Brownback that we, the U.S.
    Government, should shift our treatment of religious freedom to
    a national security matter instead of purely a matter of human
    rights.
        The CCP is no longer satisfied with just controlling
    churches and mosques. It now seeks to control the entire inner
    life of its citizens. Its goal is nothing less than to
    eliminate all independent faith and replace it with absolute
    loyalty to the CCP and Xi Jinping thought. So I want to
    highlight four trends. The first, the CCP is now criminalizing
    normal Christian life. Pastors are now being sentenced to 10 to
    15 years for receiving tithes and offerings. No case
    demonstrates this more clearly than the shocking sentence
    handed down to Pastor Yang Rongli, who received 15 years, and
    her husband, Pastor Wang Xiaoguang, who received nearly 10
    years back in June of this year, along with 10 other church
    leaders who received various sentences--for simply managing
    church donations at Golden Lampstand Church in Shanxi province.
    Christians are also arrested for worshiping or praying online.
    Christians who attend overseas Bible conferences or mission
    training are now being arrested. Earlier this year, a Christian
    woman from Beijing, Dong Yumei, was arrested and has still not
    been assigned for trial.
        The second trend is the CCP targeting the next generation,
    children's access to the Bible. Essentially, they've declared
    war on the Bible. Children are totally banned from entering the
    church. Youth ministries are shut down. Parents are threatened
    for teaching the Bible at home. And 71-year-old sister Wang
    Honglan from Inner Mongolia received nearly five years'
    imprisonment for handing out free Bibles. A third trend is the
    CCP continuing to disappear and imprison most courageous
    religious leaders, such as my good friend Ezra Jin and Pastor
    Wang Yi. And, of course, other religiously motivated civil
    society leaders, including Gao Zhisheng, a human rights lawyer
    known as the conscience of China, who has been missing for over
    eight years. Dead or alive, nobody knows. And Dr. Wang
    Bingzhang, a Christian democracy advocate, is still serving
    life imprisonment after being kidnapped from Vietnam. A woman
    named Zhang Yadi, a Chinese convert to Tibetan Buddhism, also
    vanished upon returning to China after studying in Europe.
        The fourth trend is that the CCP's persecution actually
    does not stop at China's border. It already extends its long
    arm overseas,
    especially on free world soil. In 2020, my own home in Texas
    was surrounded by as many as 100 CCP agents and hired thugs,
    day and night, surrounding my home, issuing threats against my
    family, my ministry, and my children. They said if I stopped
    the ministry of ChinaAid they would leave. For three months
    they
    surrounded my home. And Chinese churches in the U.S. and Canada
    have even been pressured to raise the CCP's own flag in their
    churches, congregations, pulpits. Videos have already shown a
    Chinese church pastor in Los Angeles raising the Chinese
    Communist Party flag, singing the red songs--the red,
    revolutionary songs of the CCP during the Chinese so-called
    national day in Los Angeles. And certainly they won't raise the
    American flag to celebrate the Americans' Independence Day.
        I will leave my recommendations for the Q&A time. Thank you
    so much.
        [The prepared statement of Bob Fu appears in the Appendix.]
        Chair Sullivan. Thank you, Dr. Fu. Very powerful testimony.
    And frustrating. I don't know why we allow Chinese communist
    thugs to protest and harass American citizens. They should all
    be thrown in jail, in my view, or kicked out of the country.
        Our last witness is Grace Jin Drexel. Grace, you have the
    floor.

                     STATEMENT OF GRACE JIN DREXEL,
                      DAUGHTER OF PASTOR EZRA JIN

        Ms. Drexel. Thank you so much. On October 10th, my father,
    Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri, was arrested by the Chinese
    authorities, along with 27 other church pastors and leaders of
    Zion Church. Seventeen church leaders now remain in prison with
    him, and all 18 have been formally arrested this week. This
    crackdown has been reported as the largest takedown of an
    independent church in China since the Cultural Revolution.
    Because of the prominence of the church and the brazenness of
    the Chinese repression, this case has become an international
    incident and has been profiled extensively in the international
    press, attracting a number of statements of public support
    across the U.S. Government and beyond--thank you so much--
    including from Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
        Many of these church leaders were taken in front of their
    young families, who they now leave behind. My father and
    several other older leaders struggle with various health
    issues, and we are deeply concerned about their treatment in
    prison. I urge the Chinese government to release all these Zion
    Church members immediately and unconditionally. My father's
    church, Zion Church, was founded in 2007 with the mission to be
    faithful to God's word and to serve the families and
    communities around us. By God's grace and power, within just
    one decade, Zion grew rapidly into the largest emerging urban
    house church in China, with more than 1,500 members at the
    time.
        Since Chairman Xi Jinping came into power he has refocused
    the Chinese Communist Party and the state to strengthen
    ideological purity and consolidate control of society. In 2016,
    Xi rewrote the regulation on religion in China and emphasized
    the need to sinicize religion. However, at its core this is not
    about making religion more Chinese. Christians in China already
    have Chinese Bibles, indigenous hymns, their own church
    history, and unique theology grown from years of persecution.
    Our churches are not led by foreign missionaries but by Chinese
    Christians themselves. Instead, the campaign is truly about
    forcing socialist core values into the religion. It's less
    sinicization; it is more ``Party-fication'' of religion.
        Beginning in 2018, a wave of persecution and a crackdown on
    all religion began under the auspices of this sinicization. In
    2018 Zion Church was also targeted because the church
    leadership refused to install facial recognition cameras inside
    the sanctuary. The government harassed hundreds of church
    members, threatened to take away their jobs, their rented
    houses, their children's education, and even their parents'
    retirement accounts. Many of the congregants did, in fact, pay
    the consequences of keeping their faith. On September 9th,
    hundreds of police brutally seized and shuttered the church
    buildings, took hold of church assets, and briefly detained and
    closely surveilled the pastors and leaders. And since 2018, my
    father has been under an exit ban and consequently has been
    forcibly separated from my family in the U.S. for more than
    seven years.
        However, as powerful as the Chinese Communist Party is, it
    will never be able to take our faith and belief from us. In
    Zion's own church history, we've already seen how the
    government's attempt to coerce the faith, and control the
    faithful, has backfired, laying bare the hollowness of
    authoritarian ideology and the strength of faith, and
    ultimately growing the church. Because the church lost its
    place of worship, it pushed my father's church to develop a
    hybrid online/offline model that went nationwide, launching 100
    new church plants across 40 cities across China, growing the
    church to the largest it has ever been, reaching 10,000 people
    daily.
        A new wave of religious persecution is brewing across
    China. Earlier this year, multiple Zion Church sites in dozens
    of cities were frequently disrupted during our Sunday services,
    with over 150 pastors and elders and church members being taken
    to the police station. They were harassed, threatened,
    interrogated, and some briefly detained. In May of this year,
    Pastor Gao Quanfu, a dear friend of my father's based in Xi'an,
    was detained on criminal charges of ``using suspicious
    activities to undermine the implementation of law,'' and fraud.
    His son is also here with us in the audience today, seeking to
    speak out about his parents and their church. In June, multiple
    co-workers of Golden Lampstand Church in Linfen were imprisoned
    for ``fraud,'' including Pastor Yang Rongli, who has received a
    15-year sentence. Many more churches in China are suffering
    ongoing persecution this year.
        Chinese independent house churches are seen as a threat not
    because they are evil or dangerous, as authorities so often try
    to paint them. They are a threat because they often care deeply
    for the society and serve the community out of love and not
    control. The church also brings a uniquely connected civil
    society organization in China, bringing people from different
    economic, education, and social strata. Churches often model
    transparency in leadership, including democratically selecting
    church elders, rotation of church board members, and clear and
    independent financial structures. Christians in China do not
    oppose authority. And the church has always sought to enrich
    Chinese society. They merely ask it to be free from the control
    of the Chinese Communist Party, a self-identified atheist
    organization, in the sacred decisions of the church--
    including things like who can attend and be baptized, what kind
    of sermons can be preached, what songs of worship they can
    sing.
        My father started Zion in order to worship freely in a
    church that put God as the sole head of our church. Like many
    faithful Christians everywhere, my father's church seeks to
    give unto Caesar what is Caesar's but hold on to the position
    that thou shalt have no other gods before me. Since I began
    advocating for my father and the release of other church
    leaders detained around a month ago, my family has also
    experienced transnational repression. A week after we began
    speaking out about my father's detention, my mother received a
    threatening phone call from someone impersonating a U.S.
    Federal agent. I have also been watched and followed in
    Washington, D.C., as I met with friends and mentors who have
    been helping me. I'm sometimes indeed fearful. After all, I
    know that I seek to expose and hold to account the second most
    powerful country in the world.
        Yet as a Christian, I believe that we are asked to take
    courage and speak truth. And that God, who created heaven and
    Earth, will stand by our side. Similarly, I urge the leaders
    here today to take similar courage, to use the authority with
    which you've been entrusted, and to not forget us. Speak our
    names--Pastor Ezra Jin, Pastor Gao Yinjia, Pastor Wang Lin,
    Pastor Yin Huibin, and all the leaders of Zion Church in China,
    and others as well--Pastor Gao Quanfu of Light of Zion Church
    in Xi'an, Pastor Wang Yi of Early Rain Covenant Church, Elder
    Zhang Chunlei of Guiyang Ren'ai Reformed Church, and many
    others. Do not signal defeat and acceptance of this trampling
    of human rights with your silence.
        We are praying for the full release of all Zion imprisoned
    church leaders today. And despite not knowing why this is
    happening and experiencing the despair of seeing my father and
    others wrongfully imprisoned, I can draw strength in knowing
    that my God is a good God, and even in these bleakest moments
    might be used for bigger things and our work is not in vain. My
    father wrote in a letter from prison just a week ago that ``God
    has indeed used his power to uphold us. . . . I believe that
    during this time, like silver being refined, we are being
    tested by God, which is painful but full of love. But God will
    not abandon us.'' Thank you so much.
        [The prepared statement of Grace Jin Drexel appears in the
    Appendix.]
        Chair Sullivan. Thank you, Ms. Drexel, for that very
    powerful testimony.
        I want to thank all the witnesses for their very powerful
    testimony. I know Chairman Smith has another commitment soon so
    I'm going to turn to him to begin the questioning.
        Co-chair Smith. I'll be brief. And Grace, thank you. What
    moving testimony on behalf of your dad. And we do have to
    respond.
        I would ask the panel, I mean, in 2008 right before the
    Olympics in Beijing, not only did Frank Wolf and I go over--and
    I was shocked that all the administration, including Secretary
    of State Condoleezza Rice, were talking about was what venue--
    did they go to track and field, basketball? I said, Human
    rights! So did Frank. Raise human rights. They rounded up
    people all over Beijing so they couldn't talk to the press.
    Human rights. Now, Bush was talking about, what, opening
    ceremonies? Is he going to go? We said, ``You can't. And
    certainly, if you do go, you've got to meet with a
    representative group of great human rights defenders from
    China,'' just like we have in this panel--like you, Grace, and
    Bob, and the others. And so I think we should maybe do a letter
    and ask, before his meeting--certainly well before his meeting
    in April--that our President, current President, meet with you
    and listen. I mean, really allocate enough time to really let
    both the substance and your hearts be conveyed to him.
        So Mr. Chairman, I ask that we do that in a bipartisan way.
    But it makes a difference. You know, there's a culture of
    indifference and a culture of denial that pervades all of our
    human rights work, including and especially with religious
    freedom. They say, It's not really going on. Well, it is going
    on. And you're bearing witness so powerfully. So I think we
    really need to get the President, because he will be eyeball-
    to-eyeball with Xi Jinping sometime, maybe in April. We're not
    sure when. And I think he needs to see all of you before he
    does that.
        And second, last night--you know, I do have this big
    hearing, I'm sorry that there was a conflict--on Nigeria. And
    you know, last night I met with a large delegation from
    Nigeria. They're here to say, Nothing to see here. Again, the
    culture of indifference. And maybe not so much indifference,
    but more denial. Their attorney general, Ribadu, who's the
    national security advisor, was there. And I said, after we had
    a long discussion about Nigeria and the killing of moderate
    Muslims and the slaughter of Christians--and they are a Country
    of Particular Concern (CPC), which Sam Brownback pushed so hard
    for and got in the last administration, during Trump's first
    term--but I asked him, ``What are you doing?'' You know,
    there's this currying favor with Xi Jinping. ``Do you raise
    what's going on in Xinjiang and the genocide against the Muslim
    Uyghurs?'' And--crickets--nothing.
        I said, you know, is it lack of information? Do you not
    know what's going on there? Genocide is, you know, the worst of
    the worst. And it's happening against co-religionists, your
    fellow Muslims. We all speak out for every faith, but you know,
    here you are getting closer to China. And that ought to be
    absolutely preconditioned. So I just raised that at the
    meeting. And I think the President would be moved by meeting
    with all of you, as we are moved listening to your testimony,
    looking you in the eye, and knowing, Grace, we need to speak.
    God hasn't forgotten nor should we, nor should the President of
    the United States--your dad and all the rest. So thank you,
    Chairman, for letting me go first. I do have to run over to the
    other hearing. But thank you so much.
        Chair Sullivan. Well thank you, Mr. Chairman. And good luck
    at the next hearing. Thank you for your passion.
        I'm going to begin the questioning. By the way, it's great
    to have Representative Kiggans here. Welcome and we're glad
    you're here. I want to get to Dr. Fu. You said you had
    recommendations. I'd like to--if you can succinctly provide
    those to the Commission right now, I'd like to hear what those
    are.
        Mr. Fu. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I also want to submit my
    written testimony for the record.
        Chair Sullivan. Without objection.
        Mr. Fu. A few recommendations. First, I know Congress has
    been discussing the counter-CCP Transnational Repression Act,
    several bills. I really recommend that both the Senate and the
    House take this on. And the second one--Senator Ted Budd has
    already proposed the Combating the Persecution of Religious
    Groups in China Act. So I also really advocate for that.
        The third one, I think we should apply the Global Magnitsky
    sanctions to officials involved in persecution of the Zion
    Church and Golden Lampstand; you know, the long sentences, the
    arrest of these who are just basically traveling overseas for
    religious conferences, and sanctions against those who
    engineered the enforced disappearance of lawyer Gao Zhisheng
    and Zhang Yadi.
        The fourth one I think is also very bipartisan, and which I
    really want to raise especially for the Trump administration.
    That is to protect these religiously based Chinese asylum
    seekers fleeing religious persecution, including those who are
    actually already vetted but because of the change in
    administration since President Trump took office, are stuck
    overseas in Thailand, for instance. I'm very, very concerned
    that we have overreacted--really throwing the baby out with the
    bathwater, because there are many who validly claimed to be
    under religious persecution, who were in some cases already
    vetted by the previous administration--some literally about to
    board a flight, but were stopped. I think we should urge the
    administration to seriously consider them and protect them. And
    we can't just use the word ``illegal'' and compromise our
    country's principles by not protecting religious freedom and
    religious refugees who seek asylum in the United States. I
    think I also agree with both the Co-chair and Ambassador
    Brownback that religious freedom must be raised in every high-
    level diplomatic meeting with the PRC.
        Chair Sullivan. Thank you. Let me--sorry to interrupt,
    because I do want to take the time to get to some of the other
    panelists. You did a good job of laying out the shifts and
    trends that have happened with regard to the CCP to control
    religion over the last 10 years. I want to ask all the other
    witnesses what you have seen, what your views are in that
    regard; the trends and the tactics that the CCP has used to
    control religion, particularly during the Xi Jinping era. And
    if you also want to add, how does PRC intimidation against
    religion, against groups outside of China, impact what's
    happening around the world? And if you have any personal
    experience with this, I would appreciate it.
        But why don't we begin with you, Ambassador Brownback, on
    the trends that you've seen. And why do we think the Chinese
    Communist Party is clamping down so hard? And I'll ask all of
    the witnesses, except for Dr. Fu. He talked about that in his
    testimony.
        Ambassador Brownback. Thanks. I think it's a good question
    to ask. They have grown in their fear of people of faith.
        Chair Sullivan. So it's a weakness we're seeing.
        Ambassador Brownback. It is a weakness.
        Chair Sullivan. We always think of it as a strength, but
    you're saying it's actually a weakness of theirs. They're very
    scared of people of faith.
        Ambassador Brownback. Completely fearful of it. Much more
    fearful of that, as I said, than of our aircraft carriers or
    nuclear weapons. They fear their own people. Why? Well, because
    they are afraid of losing control. They're not acting like a
    confident country at all. And so why are we even ever hesitant
    about backing these people of faith? There can be nothing more
    American than religious freedom. This is at the core of who we
    are. And look at the lineup you have of Muslims and Christians,
    Falun Gong, Buddhists, that they are deathly scared of. And
    that's the way they're acting. And the oppression has
    intensified.
        And then they've invented these security systems and
    perfected them that truly are mindboggling, the quality of
    them. And then freely dispersing them. In the book ``Where We
    Are Now,'' they've dispersed these systems to 80 different
    authoritarian countries--handed them out like candy to help in
    the oppression. So I just think if they're spending so much
    time and effort doing this, we ought to be backing these
    people.
        Chair Sullivan. Thank you. I only have a few seconds left
    but I want all the witnesses to answer that question that I
    posed. And then we'll turn to Rep. McGovern. Mr. Ma, do you
    have a view on that question that I just posed?
        Mr. Ma. I believe that the CCP is showing fear of the
    people. And the trend that we're seeing is trending toward
    nationalism. You can see from the groups that they're
    oppressing, this is part of a larger chess game.
        Chair Sullivan. Thank you.
        Mr. Tsering, do you have a view on the question I posed?
        Mr. Tsering. Yes, very much. Mr. Chairman, I think one
    single issue is that they fear the Dalai Lama and his influence
    in Tibet. They look at Tibetan Buddhism as a challenge to the
    continuation of the Chinese Communist Party, and therefore they
    use the United Front Work Department, a CCP organ, to control
    Tibetans, inside Tibet as well as outside, including American
    citizens, through the use of visa permission, whereby the
    United Front, whose whole mission is to confront the Dalai
    Lama, controls the Tibetan American visa process. Here, I would
    like to submit for the record, please, two statements that the
    Dalai Lama had issued, in 2011 and 2025, regarding his
    reincarnation.
        Chair Sullivan. Thank you.
        And Ms. Drexel, do you have a view on this? And again,
    thank you for your very powerful, courageous testimony.
        Ms. Drexel. Thank you so much. I agree with Ambassador
    Brownback. And just a quick anecdote, when they came to
    imprison my father or detain my father, there were 30 police
    that came into my father's house to imprison a 56-year-old
    pastor, who can't karate chop his way out of anything. And so
    there was no need--there could have been two policepersons, one
    policeperson that could have come. Instead, they had 30 people
    surround the entire house in order to detain him. And that just
    shows how much they fear this faith. And I think part of it is,
    again, because of the resilience of the faithful, that they
    can't take away something that is so intimate and so core to
    oneself.
        And in terms of signaling, they also want to show the world
    that there's no one there to help you, that your God is not
    there, your church is not there, there's no one there. And
    therefore, you are always under my, and solely my, control. And
    I think that is wrong. And I think this is a universal human
    rights issue and that we need to stand together with those that
    are persecuted for faith.
        Chair Sullivan. Well, this Commission is here, right?
    That's our point. Let me just make a comment here. I think this
    is really insightful testimony because we all see Xi Jinping is
    a strongman. He's getting stronger. And he's getting control.
    But this is happening because they're actually weak, and
    scared, and afraid. That's really important for all of us to
    remember.
        Representative McGovern.
        Representative McGovern. Thank you very much.
        Let me thank all of you for your incredibly powerful
    testimony. And Grace, on this Commission, we're not going to
    forget about your dad, and we're going to continue to advocate
    for his release. You know, Mr. Chairman, among my most
    treasured possessions are these Tibetan prayer beads that I
    wear. About a year and a half ago I was in India, Bhuchung--you
    were there--and we met with the Dalai Lama. And he blessed
    these and gave them to me. And told me that they will have a
    calming influence, that they will help me deal with my fears
    and anxieties and my worries about the world. And I'm anxious
    to meet with the Dalai Lama again to tell him that they're not
    working.
        And listening to the testimony here today, I mean, the
    issue of religious freedom is more urgent than ever. I share,
    by the way, Ambassador Brownback's impatience on the Tibetan
    issue. The Middle Way is something that has been talked about
    for decades now. And we've been led to believe that maybe the
    Chinese government might be receptive. Maybe they might be
    willing to negotiate certain things. And they just keep on
    stringing everybody along. So I do think we need to be thinking
    in terms of consequences, you know, of responses that are more
    than just words of condemnation, but that have an impact.
        I actually like the idea of basically putting deadlines on
    some of this stuff. And if China doesn't comply, then we
    formally recognize Tibet as an independent country. And we have
    to insist also, you know, that the Tibetan people be able to
    decide their religious future. The Tibetan Policy and Support
    Act of 2020, which I authored with then-Senator Rubio, makes it
    United States policy to support the right of Tibetan Buddhists
    to select their own leaders, and rejects China's interference
    in recognizing a successor or reincarnation of the 14th Dalai
    Lama, and any future Dalai Lama.
        So I just have a couple of questions here. How would you
    assess the U.S. Government's implementation of this provision,
    including under the current administration? In addition, TPSA
    also authorizes sanctions such as those under the Global
    Magnitsky Act against those officials who interfere in the
    reincarnation decisions under Tibetan Buddhism. Has this
    authority been used? And how would you assess its
    effectiveness? And finally, we have discussed the value of
    creating an international norm in support of Tibetan Buddhists'
    right to determine their religious leaders, including the next
    Dalai Lama, including coordination by like-minded governments.
    Is that happening? And can the U.S. Government play a
    leadership role?
        Mr. Tsering. Thank you, Congressman. I think, on the three
    points, first on what this administration is doing on Tibet.
    When Secretary Rubio, soon after he took over the Secretary of
    State position, he used the occasion of the Tibetan New Year to
    issue a statement reiterating American policy on Tibet--which
    is positive. We want to see action to follow that policy
    statement, which we hope that this administration will take.
        Second, on the matter of the reincarnation, as you rightly
    say, there is this policy of the U.S. Government to say that it
    only respects the authority of this Dalai Lama and the Tibetan
    Buddhists on reincarnation, not the Chinese government. We want
    the United States to reiterate its policy and follow up on this
    implementation to say that if the Chinese government violates
    Tibetan religious freedom, they will be sanctioned. On the
    issue of sanctions, there is the Reciprocal Access to Tibet
    Act, which you did, and TPSA also has provisions. The Magnitsky
    Act also has provisions.
        So what the administration--not just this administration,
    the previous administration too--has been saying is that they
    do sanction Chinese officials. But it is not announced publicly
    who they are sanctioning. So we would recommend that the
    government administration here identify these people publicly
    so that the concerned Chinese authorities get the right
    message.
        In terms of the future of Tibet, which you refer to, I
    believe that the Dalai Lama and the elected leadership of the
    Tibetan people have been earnestly working for a win-win
    solution for both the Chinese and the Tibetans. Therefore the
    path for a peaceful struggle they have led needs international
    support for this to be fulfilled. If there is enough
    international pressure on the Chinese, whether through such
    acts that you describe or any other way of strengthening
    American policy, that can only help if the Chinese government
    responds by sitting down and resolving the issue of Tibet.
        Representative McGovern. I know. I appreciate that. I guess
    one of my worries--and again, the Dalai Lama is 90. And I hope
    he lives to be 190. But I think the Chinese government is
    calculating that when he passes on, that maybe the interest in
    Tibet will wither, that there won't be as much attention. And I
    think we need to make it clear that that will not be the case.
    And again, I think all of us--I think on the Tibet issue in
    particular, we need to step it up here in Congress. And we need
    to encourage the administration to use the tools that we have
    given them to pressure China even more.
        And to everybody here, I've known Bob Fu for many years.
    Thank you for your incredible courage and your leadership. We
    are all deeply concerned about not only people that are being
    repressed in China, but Chinese transnational repression
    happening here. And I'm with the Senator here that, again, we
    can't tolerate that. I mean, you're in the United States. You
    should be able to express your views and say what you want. You
    shouldn't have to fear that there are repercussions coming from
    China.
        Ambassador Brownback, again, thank you, thank you, thank
    you for your consistent leadership on these matters. I look
    forward to your book. I agree with you. This is not just a
    human rights issue. It's a national security issue. And I do
    think China's lack of acceptance of religious freedom is a sign
    of their own weakness. And so I thank you all, and I thank the
    Senator for yielding.
        Chair Sullivan. Thank you, Congressman McGovern.
        Representative Kiggans.
        Representative Kiggans. Thank you very much for holding the
    hearing. It's just a privilege to be here. And I would argue
    with Mr. McGovern that maybe his prayer beads are working,
    because we see so much interest, and just the encouraged faith
    that all of you have and the stories you've shared. So maybe
    they're continuing to work in the background. But thank you for
    sharing your stories. My apologies for being a few minutes
    late.
        I would love to hear from each of you, just to provide some
    context for myself, but how are the religious leaders in China
    still able to conduct their services, and grow their
    congregations, and practice? What type of support system
    surrounds them? Because I'm sure the fear is real and the
    threats are real. And not just in China, but the congregations
    that they have here, because we know that it is expanding to
    other countries, including our own. I just am curious about
    that support system, how they're still even able to have a
    presence and operate and grow their religions in a place like
    China. If you could maybe each answer.
        Ms. Drexel. Well, thank you so much. I will quickly just
    talk about Zion's own church network. We are still able to meet
    on Zoom. There are several pastors who just so happened to be
    abroad. Several of them were studying in the U.S., or they were
    at a meeting and conference in South Korea when this takedown
    happened. So they are still able to host our hybrid Zoom
    meetings, or sermons and worship. Unfortunately, there are a
    lot of consequences. It requires a lot of bravery for those who
    still come to services, either in person or online.
        And again, many people have already suffered consequences.
    But I think that, even during the Cultural Revolution, people
    held on to their faith even if it meant hiding in the kitchen
    and quietly singing to their families and their kids. And even
    during that time they were not able to wipe out Christianity.
    And I don't think that they will be able to wipe out
    Christianity today. But I do think that a lot of people in
    China, the Christians in China, are suffering, and are dealing
    with the consequences of being faithful to their faith.
        Representative Kiggans. Thank you.
        Mr. Fu.
        Mr. Fu. Thank you. Before answering your question, may I
    just also suggest that the Senate, especially, take the vote
    for the ambassador at large--and designate former congressman
    Mark Walker. I think the State Department--the IRF Office, that
    position is still vacant. I mean, if we are really serious on
    religious freedom, we should vote for the ambassadorship first.
        And in terms of support for the religious communities,
    countering the CCP's war--even against the cross--the CCP
    declared the cross a national security threat. A wooden or
    metal cross is an enemy of the state. Many government-
    sanctioned church pastors were also being arrested or
    decommissioned simply for refusing to take down the cross from
    the rooftop of the church building. Some were sentenced to 12
    to 14 years' imprisonment. But the cross--it's not just a
    visible cross. It's really a universal symbol.
        And when Xi Jinping basically declared a war against
    scripture, access to the Bible, to the children, this year
    alone--with one small organization based in West Texas--we
    printed over 40,000 copies of the children's Bible and got them
    into China, distributed in 20 provinces, to benefit a lot of
    children. I think the CCP's war ultimately will fail and is
    doomed to fail. I really applaud both the international
    community's support, including, of course, today's hearing, and
    the global religious community's continuous solidarity with
    those who are persecuted.
        Representative Kiggans. Thank you.
        Mr. Tsering. Thank you. In Tibet, the Chinese authorities
    have changed the policy from the physical destruction of
    Tibetan monastic institutes to control of the Tibetan monastic
    system. Today, monasteries are allowed ritualistic activities,
    but at the same time, they are trying to sinicize Tibetan
    Buddhism. So while they don't allow the monasteries to have the
    Dalai Lama's portrait, all monasteries must have the Chinese
    leader Xi Jinping and others' portraits in them. And they have
    to have political education. But in real Tibetan Buddhist
    study, the Chinese authorities do not allow Tibetan Buddhist
    students to study with their teachers, some of whom, including
    the Dalai Lama, are outside. And any contact is prohibited.
        Representative Kiggans. Interesting. Thank you.
    Interesting.
        Mr. Ma. I think we have presented evidence that the CCP is
    systematically trying to destroy all religion, whether that is
    Tibetan Buddhism, Christianity, Islam. And we have covered that
    all these religions are under attack. This religious war that
    the CCP is waging on us, we have taken all these attacks. But
    we have not retaliated. So I would like everyone here to think
    about what we can do in response, rather than just tell our
    stories here. We have suffered enough. And we have suffered
    beyond tolerance. I think now is the time to think about how we
    defend ourselves.
        Ambassador Brownback. I would agree with that statement,
    and Bob Fu's too about getting the ambassador for religious
    freedom confirmed, Mark Walker. Excellent guy. He will do a
    wonderful job. But you need that point person in the
    administration so that they can really push these things inside
    the administration. Thank you.
        Representative Kiggans. Can I just ask a quick follow-up
    question to Ambassador Brownback? Since you've had time as
    Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom, what
    have you seen work in the past? And what perhaps didn't work as
    well? Do you have any other direction you can provide?
        Ambassador Brownback. Real consequences. Words just don't
    cut it. You've got to get at the money, or you've got to make
    them scared. And if you don't, it's not going to work. The
    thing about it is, you've got right here, we've got the most
    American thing possible--religious freedom--that they are
    scared to death of. And we back up and say, Well, I guess we
    won't talk about that, because it might offend the Chinese.
    Well, they're at war with us. Whether we want to admit it or
    not, they've already moved that way. And so we're just laying
    out here today clear, consequential things that the United
    States could do, or even start talking about, that'll get their
    attention. You get President Trump and the White House meeting
    with a few people that have been persecuted for their faith
    from China, and telling their stories--particularly if it's
    Falun Gong members or Tibetans--heads will blow up in Beijing.
    They are deathly scared of this.
        Representative Kiggans. I agree. We certainly win on the
    religious freedom front. And that's a powerful weapon. So thank
    you all very much for being here.
        Chair Sullivan. Well, I'm going to end with just one final
    round of questions here. And so Dr. Fu, that's a very powerful
    story of getting Bibles to China. Again, it reminds me of the
    story of my mom bringing Bibles to the Soviet Union as a daring
    young American. We talk about this issue of fear. Dr. Fu, Ms.
    Drexel, do we have a sense of how many Christians live in
    China? Any ballpark estimate? And then I'm going to ask the
    same thing of Mr. Tsering on Buddhists, and Mr. Ju Ma on
    Muslims.
        Mr. Fu. Yes. Nobody knows the exact number. But even
    according to the analysis from the sociologists from Purdue
    University, the estimate of the number of Christians in China,
    including those who worship in the government-sanctioned church
    venues, has at least reached 100 million to 130 million.
        Chair Sullivan. And do we think that number is growing or
    declining, despite the pressure?
        Mr. Fu. I definitely think it's growing, because--just the
    example of Zion Church. In 10 years from 2007 to 2018, before
    they were formally banned, they grew from 20 to, like, 1,500.
    And then in the past five years, even after Pastor Ezra Jin was
    exiled from Beijing, from his own home, the church grew from
    1,500 to over 5,000. The devotion--I sometimes sign up for the
    daily devotion on their app--has reached at minimum 10,000
    every morning--10,000 people. So that's explosive growth.
        Chair Sullivan. Mr. Tsering, do you have a sense on
    Buddhists?
        Mr. Tsering. The total number of Tibetans, not just in the
    Tibet Autonomous Region but in the other Tibetan areas which we
    call Tibet and Sichuan, Yunnan, Gansu, etc., it's around 7
    million. Of that, more than 90 percent would be Tibetan
    Buddhists. But there are also a sizable number of Chinese who
    follow Tibetan Buddhism, and Mongolians.
        Chair Sullivan. All right. Mr. Ju Ma, do you have a sense
    on----
        Mr. Ma. According to our and the government's estimate,
    there are 35 to 45 million Muslims. And that includes Hui
    Muslims and Uyghurs, as well as Chinese people who have
    converted to Islam.
        Chair Sullivan. Great. Let me ask another question. Dr. Fu,
    this issue of intimidation, and people surrounding your house.
    Do we know who these people were? I mean, do you have any
    sense? Were they Americans? Were they Chinese sent to the U.S.?
    And when you called the authorities in Texas, what did they do?
    My view is if they're not Americans, they should be booted out
    of the country, like these ``police stations'' in New York City
    and everything. There's just no way we should tolerate any of
    this thuggish behavior by commies in our own country. So who
    were they? Do you know?
        Mr. Fu. Some are--I mean, those who surrounded my home, the
    3-month nonstop threat, the law enforcement, including the FBI
    agents, they did arrest two.
        Chair Sullivan. But were they Americans? Do we know who
    they were? Were they deported?
        Mr. Fu. Both of those arrested are American citizens. One
    from San Francisco, one from----
        Chair Sullivan. So they're just brainwashed.
        Mr. Fu. And they came with financial aid or support, or as
    guests of the Chinese Embassy--publicly. So you can tell
    they're associated with the Chinese government.
        Chair Sullivan. Okay. Ambassador, I have kind of a tough
    question, but I'm going to ask you anyway because you have a
    lot of knowledge in this area. The Vatican had an agreement
    with Beijing in 2018. I don't think it's been made public, but
    it seemed to cede a lot of authority in the Catholic Church to
    the Communist Party, to some criticism, with the last pope. I
    think they have a difficult balance because they want to expand
    the number of Chinese who are practicing Christianity and
    Catholicism. So I think sometimes the balance is, well, maybe
    we'll just accommodate the Chinese Communist Party. But at the
    same time, when you have 9 or 10 bishops who are gone,
    disappeared, certainly the accommodation policy doesn't appear
    to be working very well.
        I had the opportunity to talk about these issues with
    senior Vatican officials pretty recently. And you know, my
    message was, maybe you need to rebalance here and speak out a
    little bit more. I mean, America is a beacon, of course, for
    religious freedom, but so is the Vatican. I mean, they've been
    around a lot longer than we have--2,000-plus years. So what's
    your sense--you have real good insight on this and you've
    probably dealt with them--on what the Vatican should be doing
    on these topics? Because again, it's not an easy topic. You
    know, if you speak out really strongly you probably would
    expect Xi Jinping to arrest 30 bishops. But the accommodation
    policy, which I believe was the policy of the last pope--we
    have a new American pope whom I'm very impressed with--but it
    didn't seem to work. So do you have a sense of that? And you
    know, it's a little tough to tell the Vatican what to do, but
    we tell a lot of countries our views. I'm wondering what your
    view is on this topic.
        Ambassador Brownback. We need the Vatican's moral voice.
        Chair Sullivan. It's a big moral voice. You're right.
        Ambassador Brownback. On China.
        Chair Sullivan. And do you think it was--I'm not talking
    about the current pope. He's just getting started. But the last
    pope, it seemed like it was a very muted voice. Would you agree
    with that?
        Ambassador Brownback. It was. I traveled several times to
    the Vatican to meet with officials about it. Secretary Pompeo
    and I both had a public conference there about the agreement
    and about how this is not working. If you negotiated this
    agreement to get these bishops free, they're not free. And you
    know, who knows their internal decisionmaking, but we really
    need their moral voice on religious freedom for everybody.
        Chair Sullivan. Yes. For everybody. Not just for
    Christians.
        Ambassador Brownback. No. I mean, they need to be out there
    speaking up for Uyghur Muslims and on the forced labor
    situation. And they need to be speaking out for Christians. And
    it's my hope that this new pope--actually, I would love to see
    him fly to--this isn't going to happen--but he ought to fly to
    Taiwan and give the John Paul speech of, Be not afraid, that he
    did in Poland. Wow. That would be beautiful, to have that moral
    voice saying Be not afraid.
        Chair Sullivan. Yes. That was very powerful, when Pope John
    Paul II had that stand. It helped bring down the Soviet Union.
    There's no doubt about it.
        Ambassador Brownback. It changed Eastern Europe. It changed
    the mentality of the whole place. They said, because there are
    more Catholics there in Poland--even though they hadn't gone to
    mass in decades--it was still in their heart.
        Chair Sullivan. Great. Good answer. Well, listen, I want to
    thank all of the witnesses. I know it takes a lot of courage.
    Many of you have suffered your own personal tragedies because
    of this issue of religious freedom. And I just want to thank
    all the witnesses here today. It's a great hearing. Very
    informative. I learned a lot. I think it's important that we do
    this, and that people not just in America but around the world
    see this. Because our voice is very important. And as you've
    all mentioned, it's been a part of the founding of this great
    republic, and a core element of who we are as Americans.
        The hearing record will remain open for an additional week
    for members to revise and extend remarks and to submit
    additional written statements and additional questions for the
    witnesses.
    And we respectfully ask the witnesses to get those additional
    answers back to the Commission within the next three weeks. And
    with that, I want to thank the witnesses again. This hearing is
    adjourned.
        [Whereupon, at 11:13 a.m., the hearing was concluded.]

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                                A P P E N D I X

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                              Prepared Statements

                                    ------

                 Prepared Statement of Ambassador Sam Brownback

        Mr. Chairman:
        China is at war with faith. It is a battle for control of their
    people. The CCP annually spends billions of dollars in their own
    country to suppress, contain, control, deceive or eliminate all
    religious entities that do not have the CCP as their leader. Religious
    freedom is seen as an existential threat to the Communist leadership.
    We should strongly back these oppressed people of faith. A cause our
    country was founded on.
        Ultimately, the battle is over authority. The Kingdom of God versus
    the Kingdom of Man--who will be supreme in the hearts and minds of the
    people. Communism makes no space for the people's pursuit of the Divine
    that in any way could challenge the authority of the government.
        Thus, the battle is engaged.
        Our national interest, our global ideological confrontation with
    authoritarianism, and our hearts are with the souls of the religious
    people of all faiths in China who are oppressed, but still resisting
    the Dragon. They are our brothers and sisters of faith. They are also
    our most powerful ally against the CCP. We should embrace their cause.
    They love their nation but despise what over 70 years of Communist
    dictatorship has done to their ancient civilization.
        It is in our national interest to strongly back the Falun Gong
    practitioners, Christians, and Buddhist and Muslim adherents in China.
    The Chinese people are a very spiritual people. To back their religious
    affiliation is to back them against the foreign ideology of Communism.
    The CCP often rails against ``foreign influences'' in their country but
    blindly forgets that Communism itself is a ``foreign ideology'' from
    industrial era Europe.

        I recommend the following actions:

        1.  Make religious freedom in China a part of our national security
    objectives toward China. Develop a National Security Strategy for the
    U.S. and other nations to support the religious communities inside
    China.

        2.  Use economic sanctions provided in the Frank Wolf International
    Religious Freedom Act against China for ongoing and egregious religious
    freedom violations.

        3.  President Trump, Vice President Vance, Secretary of State Rubio
    and/or Secretary of War Hegseth should meet with exiled leaders and
    those from the Falun Gong, Christian, Muslim, and Buddhist communities
    in China who have been persecuted.

        Specifically for each religious community, I recommend:

    Falun Gong

        This is the community the CCP fears the most because they are the
    most natural and indigenous to the Chinese people. They went from
    introduction in 1992 to 90 million practitioners in seven years, before
    being banned by the CCP.
        They have a registry of millions of Chinese who were members of the
    CCP and have now renounced it. Their objective is to bring back the
    Chinese culture that existed before Communism.

        We should:

        1.  Recognize a genocide against the Falun Gong by the Chinese
    government.

        2.  Meet with their key leaders in exile to support their right to
    freedom of religion in China.

        3.  Support their work to break the Great Chinese Internet
    Firewall.
    Christians

        One of the places where Christianity is growing the fastest.

        We should:

        1.  Strongly advocate for the release of Christian hostages being
    held by the CCP. People like Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri of the Zion Church,
    Pastor Wang Yi of the Early Rain Covenant Church and the ten Catholic
    Bishops identified in an October 17, 2024 article by Nina Shea.

        2.  Encourage private sector entities with significant ties to
    China to advocate for the release of prisoners of conscience and human
    rights lawyers. Groups like the NBA, Hollywood, and major businesses
    with ties to China.

    Tibetan Buddhists

        China continues to aggressively push forward a cultural genocide in
    Tibet, doing everything possible to remove Tibetan language and culture
    from the next generation and to distance the people from their
    reverence for the Dalai Lama.

        We should:

        1.  Categorically reject the Chinese government's claim to the
    right to appoint the next Dalai Lama.

        2.  Send Vice President Vance or Secretary Rubio to Dharamsala,
    India to confer with the Dalai Lama and announce our support for the
    Dalai Lama's Middle Way approach for Tibet. Genuine autonomy for Tibet
    within China. While I have significant doubts this will work, just look
    at Hong Kong. If China will not agree to this within 60 days, we should
    announce our recognition of an independent Tibet.

        3.  Tibet, and for that matter, Xinjiang (East Turkestan), are no
    more a part of China than Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan were a part of
    Russia. They are occupied territories and we should see them as such.

    Uyghur Muslims

        Many of the Uyghurs have now been moved from concentration camps to
    forced labor confinement. Same incarceration, different setting. The
    transnational oppression experienced by Uyghurs and Falun Gong, in
    particular, must be confronted in our own country and Europe.

        We should:

        1.  Pass legislation to address the transnational oppression and do
    high-profile prosecutions of those doing the criminal activities.

        2.  Start addressing Xinjiang as East Turkestan in our government
    documents.

        3.  Aggressively address the enforcement of our laws against the
    use of forced labor, particularly of the Uyghurs, and ask our allies to
    similarly ban the sale of products made by forced labor in their
    markets.

    Conclusion

        To date, we have failed to recognize and support our most potent
    ally in our struggle against the CCP, the religious people of China.
    The CCP fears them more than our nuclear missiles or aircraft carriers.
    It's time to engage them and their fundamental human dignity and God-
    given human right to do with their own souls what they choose. No fight
    could be more American than to fight for religious freedom.
    [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T2143.001

                       Prepared Statement of Ismail Juma

        Chairman, Co-chairman, and distinguished members of the Commission:
        Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today. It is an
    honor--and a solemn responsibility--to speak on behalf of the tens of
    millions in China who can no longer speak for themselves. I also wish
    to extend my deep gratitude to all who continue to defend and uphold
    the principle of religious freedom.
        As a member of the more than ten million Hui Muslims of China, and
    as a humanitarian advocate and survivor of religious persecution, I
    appear before you to present a truth that has been systematically
    concealed: China's Muslim communities are facing the most severe,
    widespread, and systemically engineered crisis threatening their
    physical survival and basic freedoms since 1949.

    I. The CCP's ``Re-engineering Project'': Not Only Suppression, but
    Erasure

        A long-term misunderstanding is that the Chinese Communist Party
    merely ``restricts'' religion. This is false. The CCP is a political
    organization founded on a commitment to eradicate religion. Its
    doctrine views organized faith, moral systems, and independent
    community structures as existential threats to totalitarian control.
    When it does not yet possess the capacity to destroy religion outright,
    it restricts it; when it does acquire that capacity, it moves to
    eliminate it without hesitation--just as it has done to independent
    NGOs, civic groups, and minority cultures.
        Under the veneer of what it calls a ``re-engineering project'', the
    CCP seeks to reshape all religions into ideological appendages of the
    Party-state.

    1. Erasure of Islamic Architecture and Sacred Space

        Across Ningxia, Gansu, Qinghai, Yunnan, and other regions,
    thousands of mosques have had their domes demolished, minarets removed,
    Quranic inscriptions erased, and Arabic calligraphy scraped away.
        Many mosques have been forcibly converted into ``cultural plazas,''
    ``civilization practice centers,'' or political education sites.
    Interiors are stripped of religious symbolism; exteriors made to
    resemble secular government facilities.
        This is not mere physical destruction--it is the surgical removal
    of the Muslim spiritual landscape.

    2. Normal Religious Life Criminalized as ``Illegal'' or ``Extremist''

        Acts that are entirely normal in Muslim societies are redefined as
    crimes:

          Fasting during Ramadan
          Teaching the Qur'an privately
          Wearing the hijab or traditional attire
          Growing a religious beard
          Children entering mosques
          Family religious gatherings

        These practices may result in police interrogation, fines,
    detention, or being sent to ``re-education camps.''
        This is a systematic project to redefine faith as illegality.

    3. Destruction of Religious Knowledge: Cultural Eradication

        The lifeblood of Hui, Uyghur, Kazakh, and other Muslim
    communities--the centuries-old Islamic educational tradition--has been
    deliberately dismantled:

          Imams arbitrarily detained or forced into political
    indoctrination
          Arabic instruction severely restricted
          Religious texts censored or rewritten
          CCP-approved political reinterpretations of the Qur'an
    mandated

        A people's deepest moral and cultural inheritance is being uprooted
    at its source.

    4. Repression in Xinjiang Has Not Ended--It Has Become More Hidden

        There is a dangerous misconception that repression in Xinjiang has
    ``eased.'' The truth: It has not stopped. It has evolved.
        What was once mass internment has transformed into totalized
    surveillance and control:

          Forced labor
          Family separation
          Mosque demolitions
          Ubiquitous digital monitoring
          Birth prevention policies
          ``Stabilization'' policing systems

        Xinjiang today is a laboratory of totalitarian social engineering.

    II. My Personal Experience: A Survivor of Transnational Repression

        Because of my humanitarian work, my efforts to promote ethnic and
    religious reconciliation, and my advocacy for persecuted Muslims, I was
    placed on China's watchlist.
        After I fled China, the repression followed me across borders:

          Surveillance and threats
          Cyberattacks and coordinated bot harassment
          Pressure and intimidation directed at my family
          Abuse of legal systems to wage transnational repression

        I possess evidence of:

          Hui religious figures imprisoned after secret trials
    simply for sharing or reposting my social media content
          Minors prosecuted for attempting to contact me
          Cross-border legal actions initiated immediately after I
    submitted a human rights brief to the United Nations, supported the
    protection of Najiaying Mosque in Yunnan, and helped international
    media expose the destruction of thousands of mosques

        My uncle--whom I had not spoken to for more than a decade--was
    coerced into calling me with a message from the authorities: ``Turn
    back before it is too late.''
        It is now evident that the CCP is exploiting legal loopholes in the
    United States to conduct transnational repression. America's judicial
    system--ironically a symbol of the rule of law--has become one of the
    CCP's most effective weapons to burden dissidents with:

          reputational smearing
          endless malicious lawsuits
          crushing legal bills

        Meanwhile, here on U.S. soil, I have experienced stalking,
    intrusions into my residence, online and email threats, and explicit
    death threats. These are not isolated events--they are part of an
    ongoing campaign.

    III. Digital Authoritarianism: Extending Control to Overseas Muslims

        The CCP deploys digital tools and influence operations to
    intimidate overseas Muslims:

          Monitoring Chinese Muslims abroad through social media
          Coordinated bot attacks and character assassination
          Using family members in China as hostages
          Creating an atmosphere of fear in diaspora communities

        A telling example: A respected Islamic scholar visiting Chinese
    Muslim migrants in Malaysia told them he planned to meet me in the
    United States. Their reaction was a mixture of excitement and dread.
    Their fear was simple: if their names appeared alongside mine in a
    report, their relatives in China would face retaliation.

    IV. Religious Tolerance: A Core American Value and a Universal Moral
          Principle

    Christianity

          ``Love your neighbor as yourself.'' (Matthew 22:39)
          ``Judge not, that you be not judged.'' (Matthew 7:1)

    Buddhism

          The Metta Sutta: ``May all beings be happy and secure.''

    Islam

          ``There shall be no compulsion in religion.'' (Qur'an
    2:256)
          ``We made you nations and tribes so that you may know one
    another.'' (Qur'an 49:13)
          The Constitution of Medina established one of the
    earliest multi-faith systems of coexistence.

    V. Why This Matters to the National Interests of the United States

        1.  It strikes at the foundation of America's identity
        2.  CCP transnational repression violates U.S. sovereignty
        3.  It weakens America's standing with the Muslim world
        4.  Digital authoritarianism is a growing threat
        5.  Religious oppression fuels radicalization
        6.  Preventing a global shift toward authoritarianism

    Conclusion: Speaking for Those Who Cannot

        I speak today:

          to honor those who have been silenced
          to expose an ongoing system of persecution
          to defend the universal right to religious freedom
          to urge the international community to act

        If we remain silent today, tomorrow there may be no one left to
    speak.
                                     ______

                   Prepared Statement of Bhuchung K. Tsering

        I would like to thank the Congressional-Executive Commission on
    China for giving me the opportunity to testify on China's policies and
    tactics for coercively controlling Tibetan Buddhism and its relevance
    to the United States.
        Tibetan Buddhism has a sizable following throughout the world,
    including here in the United States, as well as in the Indian
    subcontinent. Tibetan Buddhism is linked to the security of the Indian
    subcontinent through its historical ties and its cultural and ethnic
    connections across the Himalayan region. The cultural influence of
    Tibetan Buddhism in the Indian subcontinent has also been a factor in
    regional stability. The Indian subcontinent is also a major player in
    the Indo-Pacific region and matters to the United States due to its
    massive economic importance, strategic security interests, and its role
    in global stability and the rules-based order.
        His Holiness the Dalai Lama is revered by communities in the Indo-
    Pacific region, as well as in the United States, where opinion polls
    have clearly shown that a majority of Americans embrace him as both a
    religious leader and globally respected statesman. Americans have shown
    that they care deeply about what happens in Tibet and successive
    congresses and administrations have reflected that through legislative
    and policy initiatives.
        The Chinese government's actions in Tibet have created a complex
    security dynamic, with India attempting to stabilize a sensitive
    frontier with Chinese-
    controlled Tibet. For its part, China has been blatantly using Tibetan
    Buddhism as a vehicle to not only control the Tibetan people, but also
    to influence the international community, including the citizens of
    India, Nepal, and Bhutan, as well as the United States.
        Over the years China has been increasingly putting pressure on
    Nepal to restrict Tibetan religious activities, leading to a climate of
    fear and limited freedom for Tibetans in Nepal. This pressure includes
    having Nepal crack down on protests, surveillance of the community,
    refusal to register refugees, and increased security cooperation with
    Chinese authorities.
        Lhasa is the most sacred place of pilgrimage for all followers of
    Tibetan Buddhism throughout the world, and Chinese authorities are
    politicizing access to Tibet to further their agenda. China continues
    to impose restrictions on Tibetan Buddhists, including American
    citizens, who wish to travel to Tibet. At the same time, it is
    providing selective access to journalists and other influencers to
    drive its own narrative. China has also used the Confucius Institutes
    in the United States to spread its propaganda on Tibet.
        China not only restricts the religious freedom of Tibetans in Tibet
    but also attempts to interfere in the activities of Tibetans and Tibet
    supporters abroad. In a report on Chinese Transnational Repression of
    Tibetan Diaspora Communities, the Dharamsala-based Tibetan Centre for
    Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) says that in attempting ``to control
    the actions of exiled Tibetans, Chinese authorities weaponise their
    relatives in Tibet by harming, threatening, or otherwise manipulating
    them. The looming threat resulting from ubiquitous surveillance also
    fosters a constant feeling of unease that spreads fear and disempowers
    exiled communities. Knowing that spies are planted among their members
    undermines the trust essential to the survival of diaspora networks.
    Transnational repression poses increasing threats to Tibetan diaspora
    communities and, thereby, to the future of the Tibetan freedom
    movement.''
        The head of the Central Tibetan Administration, Sikyong Penpa
    Tsering, also said he faced transnational repression from China, which
    tries to stop his visits to different countries, including a direct
    attempt to stop a major Australian TV station from broadcasting a
    discussion program with him. More egregiously, in July this year, the
    Chinese authorities disappeared Zhang Yadi (Tara), a Chinese student
    and a follower of Tibetan Buddhism, who had been advocating peacefully
    in France for Tibet and Tibetan rights. Zhang had been on a visit to
    China when she was disappeared in Yunnan. Reports indicate she was
    taken away by state security officers and is being held incommunicado
    on suspicion of inciting separatism.
        Therefore, the Chinese Communist Party's attitude towards religion
    in general and on Tibetan Buddhism in particular becomes a national
    security interest for the United States.
        In this testimony I will highlight China's policy of altering the
    very identity of the Tibetan people as part of President Xi Jinping's
    overall strategy to co-opt and eventually eliminate Tibet's unique
    religious, linguistic, and cultural identity.
        I am submitting the full text of my testimony for the record and
    will provide an overview at the hearing.
        The Chinese government's policy on Tibetan religion has moved from
    total destruction of Tibetan religious institutions and systems to one
    of insidious control and erosion. Initially, China launched major
    attacks on the physical structure of Tibetan Buddhism, destroying
    almost all of the monasteries and temples. Subsequently, China altered
    its policy to allow a semblance of Tibetan Buddhist practice, while
    simultaneously using it as a vehicle to exert influence over the
    Tibetan people, as well as followers of Tibetan Buddhism throughout the
    world.
        Over the years, the Chinese state has promulgated various
    regulations to bring Tibetan monasteries and monastics under tighter
    control by the state. To be clear, while these measures apply to all
    religious communities in the People's Republic of China, in Tibet the
    effect is increasingly intense due to the defining role religion plays
    as the cultural and social foundation of Tibetan society. The
    mechanisms of control inflicted by the Xi Jinping regime are designed
    to contort genuine Tibetan Buddhism and its institutions into another
    tool of autocratic control and eventual replacement of the Tibetan
    people's unique civilization with one defined by the Communist Chinese
    Party.
        The Buddhist Association of China (BAC), a supposedly non-political
    organization, is becoming a key instrument in the Chinese Communist
    Party's strategy to assimilate and transform Tibetan Buddhism. This
    process is intended to break down Tibetan Buddhism's unique
    characteristics and to change it into a tool of the Chinese state.
        The most critical area where the BAC contributes to the CCP agenda
    is in the search for and recognition of Tibetan reincarnations. The CCP
    has a strategy to use the opportunity of the ageing of the Dalai Lama
    to use the deeply spiritual process of his reincarnation to promote its
    political agenda in Tibet and the region.
        Since China has failed to place the current Dalai Lama under its
    control, it plans to ensure the next incarnation will be subservient to
    the Communist Party of China. China's atheist, authoritarian government
    is claiming authority to select the next Dalai Lama. They attempted
    this identical strategy with the reincarnation of the Panchen Lama, the
    second most well-known Tibetan Buddhist leader, by kidnapping him when
    he was six years old (the youngest political prisoner ever). The CCP
    subsequently appointed a patently false substitute in his place. Not
    only do the Chinese government's claims completely disregard centuries-
    old Tibetan religious tradition, they also violate the universal
    principle of religious freedom.
        The Chinese government's interference in the Dalai Lama
    reincarnation issue has clear geopolitical implications for many
    Tibetan Buddhist institutions in the United States, the Indian
    subcontinent, Mongolia, and other parts of the world. If not challenged
    vigorously by free countries, this decision threatens religious
    freedom, not only of Tibetans, but also of millions of followers of
    Tibetan Buddhism worldwide, including in the United States. If China
    achieves its goal of co-opting and controlling Buddhism in the region
    and globally with impunity, then it will only embolden Beijing to
    further its other expansionist and authoritarian ambitions.
        The CCP has introduced the following measures, regulations, and
    initiatives to exercise control over the recognition of reincarnations.
    In 2019, the Chinese spokesperson responded to the Dalai Lama's
    assertion about his authority to decide on his reincarnation by stating
    that the process must adhere to Chinese law.

          The ``Management Measures for the Reincarnation of Living
    Buddhas in Tibetan Buddhism'' (Order No. 5) passed by the State
    Administration of Religious Affairs on July 18, 2007, that came into
    force on Sept. 1, 2007. It articulates in detail the CCP role in
    selection, installation, and education of reincarnate lamas.

          The 2010 ``Tibetan Buddhism Living Buddha Certificates''
    provided by the BAC to reincarnations who have been approved by the
    Chinese government.

          The 2016 ``Tibetan Buddhism Living Buddha Inquiry
    System'' launched by the BAC to verify legitimacy of reincarnations. In
    January 2016, the database started with 870 names, while in April the
    same year, it increased to 1,300.

          The ``Revised Religious Affairs Regulations'' (Order No.
    686) passed by the State Council on June 14, 2017 that came into force
    on Feb. 1, 2018. It mandates that the religious community shall
    ``practice the core socialist values; and preserve the unification of
    the country, ethnic unity, religious harmony and social stability.''

          The ``Measures for the Administration of Religious
    Clergy'' (Order No. 15) passed by SARA on Jan. 8, 2021, regulating the
    administration of religious clergy. The measures, which came into force
    on May 1, 2021, standardize state management of clergy to serve the
    ideological and political interests of the state and legally underpin
    the ``Sinification'' of religion policy in China. Article 15 in the
    regulation explicitly reaffirms the state's role in management and
    approval of Tibetan reincarnate lamas.

          ``Administrative Measures for Religious Activity Venues''
    (Order No. 19) that came into force on Sept. 1, 2023.

        The Chinese authorities realize that Tibetan Buddhism is the core
    of Tibetan identity. Thus, to the CCP, Sinification serves to make
    Tibetan Buddhism conform to the CCP ideology and be an active agent of
    its promotion and implementation.
        In a formal statement on September 24, 2011, the Dalai Lama
    categorically maintained that only he can make a decision regarding his
    reincarnation and the process by which he intends to handle the issue
    of his succession, and on July 2 this year he reiterated his position.
    I would like to submit these two statements for the record.
        In the past more than 60 years, the Chinese authorities have
    adapted from a policy of destruction of the Tibetan religious
    institutions and system to one of controlling them to serve its own
    political objectives. For the first several years leading to and after
    the Chinese invasion and occupation of Tibet, there was a policy of
    complete annihilation of Tibetan religion, including its institutions.
        After the Cultural Revolution, there was a brief period of
    liberalization in the 1980s, leading to a resurgence of Tibetan
    religious expression. In an apparent realization of the failure of its
    policy to eliminate Tibetan Buddhism, the Chinese leadership slowly
    began to change its policy to one of subversion and mounting erosion.
        Tibetan Buddhists inside and outside Tibet will not accept China's
    plans to control the Dalai Lama's reincarnation. Nor will the
    international community endorse such a blatant assault on not only
    Tibetan religious freedom, but also the fundamental right of any
    religion to choose its own leaders.
        Tibet is within the parameters of U.S. security interests in the
    Indo-Pacific region. Tibet occupies an Asian fault zone of clashing
    cultures and big power politics. Tibet is where Russia, China, and
    British India played the Great Game in the past. A stable Tibet where
    the human rights and religious freedom of Tibetans is respected would
    contribute greatly to peace and stability in this sensitive region.
                                recommendations
        1. The Trump administration must monitor, as per the Tibetan Policy
    and Support Act of 2020, Chinese officials' violation of Tibetan
    religious freedom, including interference in recognizing a successor or
    reincarnation of the 14th Dalai Lama and any future Dalai Lamas and
    consider imposing sanctions with respect to such officials under the
    Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act (22 U.S.C. 2656 note)
    and applying the relevant section of the Immigration and Nationality
    Act (8 U.S.C. 1182(a)(2)(G)) with respect to such officials.

        2. The Trump administration should continue to engage
    multilaterally with like-minded countries and international bodies to
    undertake coordinated initiatives and develop a united policy on
    religious freedom of the Tibetan people, including within the European
    Union and at the United Nations.

        3. The administration should publicly demand the release of Tibetan
    political prisoners, including those who have been imprisoned for
    upholding their religious rights, including the 11th Panchen Lama,
    Gedhun Choekyi Nyima.

        4. China should be asked to stop transnational repression and
    release those who have been detained for peaceful advocacy of Tibetan
    rights, including Zhang Yadi.

        5. The State Department should make greater use of the Reciprocal
    Access to Tibet Act by publicly releasing the names of Chinese
    officials sanctioned under the Act in the hopes of gaining greater
    access to monitor the conditions in Tibet, in-
    cluding the practice of Tibetan Buddhism and the situation in Buddhist
    monastic
    establishments.

        6. Relevant congressional committees should request access to Tibet
    and ask American diplomats as well as organizations, including
    representatives of multi-
    lateral organizations, to seek access to Tibet as part of the
    implementation of the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act.

        7. Denial of religious freedom for Tibetans is merely a symptom of
    a bigger problem, which is political, and needs to be addressed. The
    United States has a policy of encouraging unconditional negotiations
    between the Tibetan leadership and the Chinese leadership. The Trump
    administration should urge Beijing at senior levels, both privately and
    publicly, to return to substantive dialogue with the Dalai Lama or his
    representatives, without pre-conditions, to negotiate a resolution to
    the Tibet-China conflict, in line with the 2002 Tibetan Policy Act and
    2020 Tibetan Policy and Support Act.

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                    Prepared Statement of Hon. Dan Sullivan

        Good morning. The Commission will come to order. Thank you to our
    witnesses and to all who are following this hearing online.
        Today's message is straightforward: the Chinese Communist Party
    (CCP) is waging a systematic campaign to bend every faith in China to
    Party rule. CCP authorities aim for the complete subordination of
    religious belief to state ideology--re-
    engineering doctrine, leadership, education, architecture, and even
    online worship.
        The CCP is not content to police behavior; it wants to control the
    conscience and intrude on the most powerful and personal relationship
    there is--the one with God. We have documented imprisonment, torture,
    and worse for such simple acts as owning a prayer book, growing a
    beard, or gathering for worship.
        There are currently 1,647 documented religion prisoner cases in the
    CECC's Political Prisoner Database, although that number may be ten
    times higher when we consider all those detained in the Uyghur region.
    At least a dozen bishops and priests from my own Catholic Church are
    detained.
        Make no mistake about it, freedom of religion is under assault
    worldwide--witness what is happening in Nigeria. But nowhere is the
    scale of the threat greater than in China. There are an estimated 500
    million people in China whose faith traditions face some form of
    restriction or control.
        And the CCP's grip on religion does not end at its borders. Through
    transnational repression, it harasses exiled believers, infiltrates
    religious communities, and intimidates diaspora groups to remain
    silent. Some of our witnesses have personal experience with
    intimidation or transnational repression right here in America.
        Since Xi Jinping came to power, he has pushed an aggressive agenda
    to roll back what little space for independent religion once existed
    and to assert CCP dominance over all aspects of religious life.
    Christian pastors are prosecuted for fraud for accepting charity.
    Uyghur Muslims are punished for reading the Qur'an at home. Tibetan
    Buddhists are targeted for honoring the Dalai Lama; Falun Gong
    practitioners are tortured for peaceful meditation the Party cannot
    control. Across China, the Party has closed churches, imprisoned
    pastors and priests, and ordered the removal of Islamic and Tibetan
    Buddhist symbols from buildings
        We are here today because the right to believe according to one's
    own conscience is not a privilege government may grant or withhold. It
    is a universal human right, central to human dignity and human
    flourishing. We know now that religious freedom is a critical element
    in societies that are stable and prosperous. Our own history, from the
    earliest colonies to the First Amendment, reflects a simple truth:
    societies are freer, fairer, and more stable when people are free to
    worship, to practice their faith, and to live, speak, and act according
    to their beliefs.
        The CCP fears the power of faith because it is a source of values
    and moral authority it cannot control. That is why it demands that
    crosses come down and portraits of Xi Jinping go up. It is why a
    Catholic priest must preach Party slogans alongside sacred texts. It is
    why so many religious leaders and religious believers are jailed.
        To the CCP, faith is not just a challenge, it is an existential
    threat to its grip on power--and why it must be controlled or
    destroyed.
        The title of this hearing asks why religious freedom in China
    matters to the United States. We certainly want to hear our witnesses
    answer this question. But let me offer one reason why this hearing
    matters by reading part of a statement by detained pastor Wang Yi, who
    met with President George W. Bush in the Oval Office in 2006. The
    National Endowment for Democracy just awarded Wang Yi one of its
    highest prizes.
        In one of his last statements before being detained, Pastor Yi
    said: ``the rulers of this country are waging a war--in the [Uyghur
    region], in Tibet, in Shanghai, in Beijing--and the rulers who are
    waging this war have chosen for themselves an enemy that can never be
    imprisoned, an enemy that can never be destroyed, an enemy that can
    never be controlled or subdued, namely, the soul of human beings.''
    Pastor Wang Yi may now be in prison--but he, and millions of others
    like him, are not subdued. That is why this hearing matters--not just
    for one community, one country, or one faith, but for the defense of
    human dignity and conscience everywhere. The CCP wants believers in
    China to feel isolated and forgotten. Our responsibility is to show
    them--and to show Beijing--that they are neither.

                     Prepared Statement of Hon. Chris Smith

        Thank you, Senator Sullivan, and good morning, everyone.
        I'm very glad the CECC is holding this hearing, and to be working
    with you on this critical, and indeed, urgent, issue that is so close
    to my heart.
        I say ``urgent'' because, as we speak, the Chinese Communist Party,
    directed by General Secretary Xi Jinping, is engaged in one of the most
    extensive crackdowns on a Protestant Christian house church in 40
    years. I also say urgent because, as I look around this room, I see
    friends of many faiths with loved ones languishing in Chinese prisons.
    Their plight is pressing and we must act and pray with urgency.
        At its core, religious freedom is about the right of conscience--
    what George Washington called ``that little spark of celestial fire
    which is the inviolable domain in the heart of every human being.'' I
    am proud to say that this is the fourteenth hearing I have chaired or
    co-chaired dedicated to religious freedom in China.
        We say that religious freedom is a universal right because it is
    guaranteed by a sovereign God who created human beings in his own image
    and likeness and imbued them with inalienable dignity and worth,
    whether they were born in Washington or Wuhan. It is thus not a
    ``Western'' construct but a universal one.
        Yet the General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, leader of
    the world's largest atheistic state, would force his own people to
    think otherwise. He would have the Chinese people believe that
    religious freedom is not for them, that religion itself is not for
    them, because he, and the party he leads, are terrified of religious
    faith. They fear any moral or spiritual authority outside the control
    of the Party; and they punish worship of anyone but Xi Jinping.
        Instead, the Chinese Communist Party wants total control over
    heart, mind, and spirit of each citizen of China. In one particularly
    ludicrous yet equally insidious example, in September, the Cyberspace
    Administration of China launched a two-month ``Clear and Bright''
    campaign that polices pessimism and ``negative emotions,'' among other
    thought crimes. This is totalitarianism, pure and simple, and
    totalitarian governments cannot abide freedom of religion or belief.
    And yet, neither can they extinguish it.
        In Tibet, as Communist authorities seek to stamp out any mention or
    memory of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, blanketing religious sites with
    surveillance and security forces in the lead-up to his 90th birthday, a
    young singer performed a song celebrating the spiritual leader, and
    Tibetans inside and outside Tibet shared and re-shared it on social
    media.
        When authorities shut down Zion Church in Beijing, then one of the
    city' s largest, Pastor Ezra Jin took the church nationwide by moving
    online, reaching more people than it ever could have before. (We are
    also proud to have as one of our witnesses Pastor Jin's daughter,
    Grace, who used to work for the CECC.)
        In Fujian province, authorities confined underground Catholic
    bishop Guo Xijin to his residence, so he joyfully celebrated the 40th
    anniversary of his priestly ordination by serving communion to pilgrims
    through the bars of the chained gate outside his home.
        After removing domes and minarets from thousands of mosques in
    China to excise foreign elements, authorities likely believed they
    could dismantle two of the remaining mosques targeted for demolition
    with impunity, yet whole communities of Hui Muslims in Yunnan province
    took to the streets in protest.
        And these are only a few examples out of the many we at the
    Commission have documented, to say nothing of the countless acts of
    quiet faith and steadfast devotion known only to individual believers
    and their God. I encourage you to read the statements we will be
    posting on the webpage for this hearing, which will feature expert
    testimony and inspiring personal narratives from Uyghurs, Catholics,
    Falun Gong practitioners, and others.
        Today, we will hear directly from brave men and women whose
    families and faith communities have suffered in China for their dogged
    belief that they, too, are entitled to freedom of religion, and that an
    illegitimate and atheistic regime cannot bind the conscience of its
    citizens.
        In many cases, authorities have pursued beyond China's borders
    these believers in an authority above the CCP, attempting to silence
    their advocacy. Thus we are especially grateful for their voices here
    today. Among those voices is that of Grace Jin Drexel, the daughter of
    Pastor Ezra Jin and a former CECC researcher. I heard Grace address the
    CPAC Christian persecution summit, and I was deeply moved by her
    advocacy for her father. I know we are all eager to hear how we can
    support Pastor Ezra and all those detained in the crackdown on the Zion
    Church network.
        But we are not only here to lament or to cry out for the ``least of
    these'' who suffer persecution and injustice, or to call out evil
    rulers and bad actors. We speak up
    for Falun Gong practitioners, for Uyghur Muslims, for Tibetan
    Buddhists, and for
    underground Catholics because it is right, but also because robust
    religious freedom diplomacy is critical for U.S. national security, as
    Ambassador Brownback and I wrote in our recent op-ed for the Washington
    Times, ``Why China's War on Religion Matters to the U.S.'' And
    Ambassador, I know this is the topic of the book you have coming out
    soon, and I really look forward to reading it.
        Studies show that religious freedom is strongly correlated with
    flourishing societies and nations--it is a security stabilizer, making
    countries and regions safer. It is associated with economic growth and
    trustworthy institutions, ensuring fairer markets for American and
    international business. This unalienable freedom is fundamental to
    peace and prosperity for China and for the United States and deserves
    our strong and unwavering support. I look forward to hearing from our
    witnesses.
        Thank you.
                                     ______

                  Prepared Statement of Hon. James P. McGovern

        Good morning. I want to thank Chair Sullivan and Co-chair Smith for
    convening this important hearing. I want to thank Senator Merkley and
    Representative Strong for their leadership on these issues as well. We
    have different political philosophies but we are together in
    championing human rights and religious freedom.
        Religious freedom has been at the core of the Commission's work
    since its founding. It has been the subject of numerous hearings and
    well-documented reporting. I understand the 2025 Annual Report is close
    to finalization. I look forward to its publication so that all Members
    can benefit from its analysis and recommendations. I commend the
    dedicated, non-partisan staff of the Commission for their hard work in
    getting this 300+ page report researched, written and released. It is a
    lot of work. And it is good work. And it's important work.
        Religious freedom is protected under Article 18 of the
    International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which affirms
    that every person has the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and
    religion. In the United States, it is protected by the First Amendment
    to the Constitution: Congress shall make no law respecting an
    establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. We
    Americans are very proud of this protection of our rights. As a
    practicing Catholic, I feel a deep personal connection to the right to
    worship and belief according to one's conscience. Defense of this
    fundamental right, in both national and international law, is essential
    to our work as public servants.
        China's constitution also provides that the state cannot ``compel
    citizens to believe in, or not to believe in, any religion'' or
    ``discriminate against citizens who believe in, or do not believe in,
    any religion.'' But as we will hear today, such protection is honored
    in the breach. They don't respect it, they don't follow it. This is a
    reminder that even the strongest constitutional provisions on paper
    cannot protect citizens' rights if those in power choose to disregard
    them for political ends.
        In 2022 I was honored to co-chair this Commission's hearing on how
    Chinese authorities were expanding digital tools to surveil and
    suppress online religious expression. I'm pleased that today's
    witnesses will update us on the PRC's policies and tactics for coercive
    control of religion and their impact on individuals and communities. I
    welcome Ambassador Sam Brownback, who headed the State Department's
    International Religious Freedom office and remains a powerful leader in
    the field.
        I look forward to the testimony of those who will speak to the
    experiences of Hui Muslims, Christians, and Tibetans under the PRC's
    ongoing repression. In July, several UN special rapporteurs and working
    groups issued a statement on the Chinese government's interference in
    the succession of the Dalai Lama and the enforced disappearance of the
    11th Panchen Lama, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima. This is a U.S. priority, as
    Senator Marco Rubio and I put into law in the Tibetan Policy and
    Support Act.
        We will also hear very personal testimony. Last month, Chinese
    authorities launched a multi-city crackdown on the unregistered house
    Zion Church and detained several individuals including Pastor Ezra Jin.
    Many of us condemned this violation.
        His daughter, Grace Jin Drexel, joins us today to speak about her
    father and call for his release. Grace was recently a staff member of
    the CECC, helping raise awareness about prisoners of conscience
    persecuted for their faith. Now her own father is one. We stand with
    Grace and her family and join in their call.
        We must commit our voices, loudly and clearly, to defend the rights
    of those targeted for exercising their right to freedom of thought,
    conscience, and belief. But to be effective, our voice must carry moral
    credibility. I worry that we are not living up to what is expected of
    us. The United States is at its best when we lead by example. When we
    do not, we do a disservice to those overseas we are trying to help.
        Earlier this week--you may have read this in the news--congregants
    of a church in Charlotte, North Carolina, scattered into the woods when
    masked federal agents arrived and detained one of their members. The
    church has suspended services until members feel safe to gather again
    without the threat of Border Patrol raids.
        In July, the Bishop of the Diocese of San Bernardino, California,
    told the 1.2 million people in his diocese to stay home from Mass on
    Sundays to avoid being questioned or detained by ICE. I spoke with
    three Catholic bishops yesterday who reiterated the concern that they
    have about members of their church being afraid to go to church. Imam
    Ayman Soliman, who fled persecution in Egypt and served as chaplain at
    the Cincinnati Children's Hospital, spent two and half months in ICE
    detention.
        Our message to the Chinese government is that it is wrong for them
    to round up members of the Zion Church, to force worshipers to go
    underground, and to put clergy in jail. Our voice would have much more
    credibility if our own government were not acting in a similar way.
        The freedom of thought, conscience, and religion is universal. This
    right exists regardless of one's beliefs, or national or citizenship
    status. Let us be clear and consistent in this message that we are
    sending to the people of China.
        Again, thank you, Mr. Chairman, for your leadership. I yield back
    my time.

                           Submissions for the Record

                                  ----------

            Question for Ambassador Brownback from Hon. Dale Strong

        Question. People of faith are experiencing a rise in discrimination
    and persecution across the world. Christians in Nigeria and across
    Europe. Jews in the United States. Hindus in Bangladesh--and sadly, I
    could keep going. 1. How does China's stance on religious freedom
    specifically impact global trends or policies? 2. Given that religious
    freedom is a founding principle of the United States, what specific
    actions can we take to counter China's global influence?
        Answer. China's stance on religious freedom as a Country of
    Particular Concern and still the second largest economy is highly
    damaging to the global human rights movement. They are the greatest
    enabler of human rights abuses in the world. They support rogue regimes
    and have three genocides going on in their own country right now. Other
    nations see this and determine they too can violate religious freedom
    fundamental rights with impunity. We must stand up to China and they
    must feel actual consequences for their abuses.
        We can counter China by deploying religious freedom as a tool of
    our national security interest. As I said in my testimony, the CCP
    fears religious freedom in their own country more than they fear our
    aircraft carriers or nuclear weapons. The CCP spends billions annually
    to suppress people of every faith. They fear people of faith. We should
    stand boldly and publicly with the Chinese Christians, Tibetan
    Buddhists, Uyghur Muslims, and Falun Gong practitioners. They are our
    strongest allies against the Chinese regime that seeks global
    dominance.

                                     ______

                        Question for Ismail Juma (Ma Ju)
                             from Hon. Dan Sullivan

        Question. Mr. Ma, in your testimony, you referred to repercussions
    you have faced for your actions and that others have faced merely for
    contacting you. We know from reports that you have been subjected to
    lawfare here in the United States, where a Chinese state-owned
    enterprise filed a lawsuit against you in a New York state court. Could
    you tell us about that case? In your opinion, is the PRC seeking to
    weaponize the American legal system against you to silence your
    activism? Have you experienced other types of transnational repression
    or harassment since you started speaking out about human rights and
    religious freedom in China?

        Answer. Thank you very much for your thoughtful questions and your
    contin-
    ued attention to my case. I appreciate the opportunity to provide a
    more detailed
    response.

    Background of the Case and Real Motivations

        As I mentioned, this lawsuit is not just a simple legal dispute.
    Before the lawsuit was filed, I had received explicit warnings from
    individuals connected to the plaintiffs that if I did not stop my
    advocacy and exposure of certain truths, there would be consequences.
    This lawsuit is essentially a follow-through on those threats. The true
    purpose is not to resolve any genuine financial claim, but to entangle
    me in a legal battle that drains my time, resources, and energy. It is
    a form of ``lawfare'' intended to intimidate and silence me, preventing
    me from assisting others, submitting reports to international bodies
    like the UN, and revealing further truths about human rights abuses.

    The Impact on Others and Broader Context

        In fact, some individuals who collaborated with me to submit
    reports to the UN have already faced sentencing in China. Others who
    tried to provide me with information or evidence have also been
    persecuted. This demonstrates a broader pattern of transnational
    repression.
    Legislative and Sanction Recommendations

        Therefore, I would like to suggest that the U.S. consider
    legislative measures to address this issue. Specifically, the U.S.
    should implement a background and motive review for lawsuits
    originating from authoritarian states. Such a review would examine the
    political motives and the potential for these lawsuits to be tools of
    intimidation rather than genuine legal claims. Without such safeguards,
    authoritarian regimes can exploit the legal system to pursue political
    ends on U.S. soil.
        Additionally, it is crucial not only to impose sanctions on high-
    level officials, but also on mid- and lower-level participants who
    carry out these acts of repression--such as judges, legal officials,
    and local enforcers involved in these transnational cases. By holding
    all levels of perpetrators accountable, we send a strong message that
    the international community will not tolerate such abuses.

    Conclusion

        In summary, my case is a clear example of how authoritarian regimes
    attempt to leverage foreign legal systems to silence dissent and hinder
    human rights advocacy. I hope that through your support, we can
    consider legislative actions to scrutinize the motives of such lawsuits
    and ensure that all those complicit in these abuses face appropriate
    consequences.
        Thank you once again for your attention and support. I am grateful
    for your commitment to defending human rights and freedom of speech.

                                     ______

                        Question for Ismail Juma (Ma Ju)
                             from Hon. Dale Strong

        Question. People of faith are experiencing a rise in discrimination
    and persecution across the world. Christians in Nigeria and across
    Europe. Jews in the United States. Hindus in Bangladesh--and sadly, I
    could keep going. 1. How does China's stance on religious freedom
    specifically impact global trends or policies? 2. Given that religious
    freedom is a founding principle of the United States, what specific
    actions can we take to counter China's global influence?

        Answer. Thank you for your thoughtful questions and for your
    commitment to addressing these critical issues. In addition to the
    details about my own case, I'd like to provide a broader perspective on
    how China's approach to religious freedom is influencing global trends
    and what concrete steps the United States can take in
    response.
        In essence, China is not merely suppressing religious freedom at
    home but is also exporting a model where the state fully controls
    religion and can tighten restrictions under the guise of security. This
    model is being subtly promoted worldwide in several ways. For example,
    China is working to redefine human rights and religious freedom in
    global discourse by prioritizing ``development-first'' and ``non-
    interference'' narratives in international forums. They normalize the
    idea that states can reshape religious practices under anti-terrorism
    or stability pretexts. They export the ``Xinjiang governance toolkit,''
    meaning surveillance tech and big-data policing methods are sold to
    other countries, providing a template for controlling religious groups.
    There's also a silencing effect in the Muslim world, where Muslim-
    majority nations that rely on Chinese investment often remain silent or
    supportive regarding Xinjiang, thus weakening collective condemnation
    of religious persecution. Finally, by pushing for stronger digital
    censorship of religious content, China encourages other states to adopt
    similar restrictive measures, making them appear more globally
    acceptable.
        Given that religious freedom is a core American value, there are
    concrete steps the United States can take. At the government and policy
    level, it's important to use existing legal tools effectively,
    enforcing laws like the IRFA and the Global Magnitsky Act, and updating
    sanctions on officials and entities involved in religious repression.
    Integrate religious freedom criteria into trade and tech controls by
    scrutinizing companies that export surveillance tech for religious
    profiling and imposing stricter export controls. In multilateral
    arenas, introduce alternative texts that affirm religious freedom and
    coordinate with allies to counter China's repressive models. Also,
    provide clearer refugee pathways for those fleeing religious
    persecution and work with transit countries to prevent forced returns.
        At the civil society and professional community level, it's crucial
    to preserve evidence and memory, collaborate to document religious
    repression, shape academic and media narratives to counter China's
    official story, and establish ethical guardrails in the tech sector to
    avoid contributing to religious persecution.
        Within Muslim and minority faith communities, integrate the Chinese
    case into global Muslim discussions using accurate information, and
    make ``religious freedom plus China'' a local political issue by
    engaging with local representatives. Provide anonymous platforms for
    those inside China to share their stories safely and avoid flattening
    all Chinese people into a single enemy, so that the narrative remains
    focused on the government's policies rather than creating unnecessary
    division.
        In conclusion, hope comes from the evidence and memory we preserve
    today, the individuals within China who still hold on to their
    humanity, and those abroad who refuse to remain silent. By using legal
    tools, media resources, academic efforts, and interfaith solidarity, we
    ensure that China's model does not become the new global norm but
    rather remains a cautionary tale.
        Thank you once again for your dedication to these principles and
    for considering these comprehensive steps. I am grateful for your
    support in defending human rights and religious freedom.
                                     ______

                   Questions for Bob Fu from Hon. Dale Strong

        Question. People of faith are experiencing a rise in discrimination
    and persecution across the world. Christians in Nigeria and across
    Europe. Jews in the United States. Hindus in Bangladesh--and sadly, I
    could keep going. 1. How does China's stance on religious freedom
    specifically impact global trends or policies? 2. Given that religious
    freedom is a founding principle of the United States, what specific
    actions can we take to counter China's global influence?

        Answer. Thank you, Congressman Strong, for that important question.
    You are right that religious persecution is rising worldwide. But China
    is not just another country on that list--the Chinese Communist Party
    is the driving force shaping global trends of repression today.
        First, China has built the world's most sophisticated system of
    digital control over religion--using facial recognition, big-data
    policing, and AI profiling to monitor churches, mosques, temples, and
    even private prayer groups. This model is now exported through Chinese
    technology companies to parts of Africa, Central Asia, and the Middle
    East. As a result, the CCP's assumption that religion is a ``security
    threat'' is spreading globally.
        Second, China's policy of criminalizing normal religious practice--
    Sunday school, tithing, Bible studies, children's education--is now
    influencing governments that rely on Beijing for loans or political
    cover. The CCP's language of ``subversion,'' ``illegal religious
    activity,'' and ``national security risk'' is being adopted in other
    authoritarian states to justify their own repression.
        Third, China is conducting transnational repression far beyond its
    borders. In my written testimony I documented cases where Chinese
    police, state security, and online agents have intimidated pastors,
    human rights defenders, and families, all living legally in the United
    States. This emboldens other regimes to reach across borders to silence
    people of faith.
        Because religious freedom is a founding principle of the United
    States, we have both a moral duty and a strategic interest to respond.
        First, the U.S. should lead a global coalition of democracies to
    track and counter the export of China's religious-control model--
    similar to the Clean Network Initiative but focused specifically on
    religious freedom.
        Second, we should make religious freedom a core component of trade,
    technology, and security agreements--especially where Chinese
    surveillance tools are being used to target believers.
        Third, we need robust use of Global Magnitsky sanctions, not only
    against Beijing but also against provincial security officials, police
    chiefs, prosecutors, and prison administrators responsible for
    persecuting Christians, Uyghurs, Tibetans, and
    others.
        Fourth, we must protect diaspora communities here in the United
    States--by prosecuting CCP operatives who intimidate religious exiles,
    shutting down illegal ``police service stations,'' and expanding
    support for asylum seekers fleeing religious persecution.
        Finally, we should invest in independent civil society and secure
    access to uncensored religious materials--because every time a Bible
    reaches a home in China, it pushes back against authoritarian control.
        In short, China's repression is not contained within its borders--
    it is becoming a blueprint for authoritarian regimes worldwide. But the
    United States, by leading with clarity and resolve, can help ensure
    that the fundamental right to believe is protected for all people,
    everywhere.

        Question. The Chinese Communist Party forces its ideology into all
    areas of religious life, turning places of worship into tools for
    indoctrination and limiting personal faith. How does the overhaul of
    religious institutions in China specifically
    manipulate and threaten people of faith in China? Can you share some
    examples, please?

        Answer. Thank you Congressman Strong for your question. China today
    represents the most comprehensive attempt by any modern government to
    rewrite, control, and ultimately replace religion with loyalty to the
    Communist Party. The CCP's overhaul of religious institutions is not
    simply regulation--it is a full-scale ideological campaign to transform
    faith communities into instruments of state control.
        First, the CCP has forced its political ideology directly into the
    heart of worship. Churches, temples, and mosques are required to
    display Xi Jinping's portraits, national flags, and ``Core Socialist
    Values'' above or beside their sacred texts. Bibles and hymnals are
    rewritten to reflect Party doctrine. In one well-known example, the CCP
    altered the Gospel story of the woman caught in adultery, replacing
    Jesus's words of mercy with a claim that Jesus stoned the woman to
    death--because mercy was deemed politically ``incorrect.'' This is not
    theological debate; it is manipulation designed to erode the
    foundations of belief.
        Second, religious institutions are being replaced by Party-run
    structures. Thousands of churches have been shut down or forcibly
    merged into approved ``patriotic associations,'' where sermons must be
    submitted in advance, pastors are required to undergo political
    training, and children under 18 are forbidden to attend any religious
    activity. The goal is to cut off the transmission of faith to the next
    generation.
        Third, the CCP uses advanced surveillance to intimidate and control
    believers. In many regions, entrance to churches requires facial
    recognition scans; police sit in on worship services; and digital
    monitoring systems flag pastors as ``pre-crime threats'' if they gather
    people in homes or conduct discipleship training. This makes normal
    religious life impossible and places believers under constant fear.
        Fourth, when independent churches resist, the CCP criminalizes
    them. In my testimony, I detailed cases such as Early Rain Covenant
    Church, Zion Church, and the recent Golden Lampstand Church verdict in
    Shanxi. In each case, normal activities like tithing, Bible teaching,
    and helping the poor were redefined as ``fraud,'' ``illegal business,''
    or ``endangering national security.'' Pastors and elder boards have
    been sentenced to years in prison for simply living out their faith.
    Pastor Yang Rongli received a 15-year sentence back in June this year
    for her leadership in Golden Lampstand Church, under the pretext of
    ``fraud,'' while her husband, pastor Wang Xiaoguang, was sentenced to
    nearly 10 years along with the other 10 church leaders under the exact
    same fabricated charge of fraud.
        So what does all this mean for people of faith in China?
        It means their sacred spaces are turned into political classrooms,
    their scriptures are rewritten, their children are barred from belief,
    their pastors are treated as criminals, and their faith is monitored by
    the state at every moment.
        In short, the CCP's overhaul of religious institutions is designed
    not just to control religion, but to replace it--so that allegiance to
    the Party comes before allegiance to God.
                                     ______

              Questions for Bhuchung Tsering from Hon. Dale Strong

        Question. People of faith are experiencing a rise in discrimination
    and persecution across the world. Christians in Nigeria and across
    Europe. Jews in the United States. Hindus in Bangladesh--and sadly, I
    could keep going. 1. How does China's stance on religious freedom
    specifically impact global trends or policies? 2. Given that religious
    freedom is a founding principle of the United States, what specific
    actions can we take to counter China's global influence?

        Answer.

        1. China's violation of religious freedom and its attempt to make
    religion subservient to the Chinese Communist Party impacts religious
    leaders and the followers of religious traditions throughout the world.
    China is trying to gain international legitimacy through devious means
    and exerting direct and indirect pressure on international religious
    institutions to support its agenda. For example, it has impacted the
    policies of the Vatican towards Tibetan Buddhism and H.H. the Dalai
    Lama, fearing that this might anger the Chinese Government.

        2. In general the United States can be proactive and forceful in
    standing up for religious freedom of the people under the rule of the
    People's Republic of China, at the United Nations and other
    international fora, including in the Ministerial to Advance Religious
    Freedom. In particular, for Tibetan Buddhism, the United States should
    strongly reiterate the spirit of the Tibetan Policy and Support Act of
    2020 by asserting its position of supporting the authority of this 14th
    Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Buddhists on matters concerning the
    reincarnation system. Where
    Chinese officials are seen to be interfering in this process, the
    concerned individuals should be sanctioned under TPSA.

        Question. The Chinese Communist Party forces its ideology into all
    areas of religious life, turning places of worship into tools for
    indoctrination and limiting personal faith. How does the overhaul of
    religious institutions in China specifically
    manipulate and threaten people of faith in China? Can you share some
    examples, please?

        Answer. In terms of Tibetan Buddhism, China is now attempting to
    construct a new framework for the Buddhist institutions under which all
    spiritual and temporal decision making concerning monastic activities
    is in the hands of the Chinese Communist Party and not with the
    spiritual masters as was the tradition. The
    Buddhist monasteries and nunneries in Tibet are governed by a CCP-
    appointed
    ``Democratic Management Committee'' that puts CCP objectives above any
    spiritual tradition in the activities of the institutions. For example,
    the Tibetan monastic education curriculum, traditionally set by learned
    spiritual masters, is formulated by the atheist Chinese government and
    political indoctrination has been made part of the mandated study for
    the monks and nuns.
        Above all, the atheist Chinese government is claiming authority to
    control the reincarnation system of Tibetan Buddhism, a deeply
    spiritual process, in order to use it for its political objectives.
    They have already tried it with the appointment of their own Panchen
    Lama and want to do so with the next Dalai Lama.
        The teacher-student relationship of traditional Tibetan Buddhism
    that has kept the faith alive for centuries has now been broken, with
    students not being allowed to follow masters of their choosing.
    Similarly, freedom to go on pilgrimages to sacred sites in Tibet are
    severely restricted through restrictive permit systems for Tibetans and
    denial of passports for those desiring to go to the holiest Buddhist
    site in Bodh Gaya, India, where Buddha achieved enlightenment.

                                     ______

              Question for Grace Jin Drexel from Hon. Dale Strong

        Question. People of faith are experiencing a rise in discrimination
    and persecution across the world. Christians in Nigeria and across
    Europe. Jews in the United States. Hindus in Bangladesh--and sadly, I
    could keep going. 1. How does China's stance on religious freedom
    specifically impact global trends or policies? 2. Given that religious
    freedom is a founding principle of the United States, what specific
    actions can we take to counter China's global influence?

        Answer. The tragic rise of religious persecution around the world
    often occurs because governments are unable or unwilling to stop it--
    too often turning a blind eye to prejudice or even subtly encouraging
    the repression. But China is unique in the scale and extent to which
    the government itself is actively driving the persecution and building
    an ecosystem of techno-authoritarian tools that would help other
    governments do the same. They are also softening global norms that
    would protect religious groups from these abuses. No government today
    has so directly and so brutally repressed so many. The United States
    has far more power than any other country to hold China to account and
    to turn back the rising tide of repressive governments' tools and
    momentum in targeting faith. It must be more aggressive in stopping its
    own companies from supporting China's techno-authoritarian ecosystem,
    and in standing up for the faithful in China to show that China, and
    other powers, cannot repress faith with impunity. Members of the U.S.
    Government, across all levels and including at multilateral meetings,
    should also continue to mention those detained or persecuted for their
    faith in every meeting with their Chinese counterparts.

                     Statement Affirming the Continuation

                        of the Institution of Dalai Lama

                                  july 2, 2025

                     (Translated from the original Tibetan)

        On 24 September 2011, at a meeting of the heads of Tibetan
    spiritual traditions, I made a statement to fellow Tibetans in and
    outside Tibet, followers of Tibetan Buddhism, and those who have a
    connection with Tibet and Tibetans, regarding whether the institution
    of the Dalai Lama should continue. I stated, ``As far back as 1969, I
    made clear that concerned people should decide whether the Dalai Lama's
    reincarnations should continue in the future.''
        I also said, ``When I am about ninety I will consult the high Lamas
    of the Tibetan Buddhist traditions, the Tibetan public, and other
    concerned people who follow
    Tibetan Buddhism, to re-evaluate whether or not the institution of the
    Dalai Lama should continue.''
        Although I have had no public discussions on this issue, over the
    last 14 years leaders of Tibet's spiritual traditions, members of the
    Tibetan Parliament in Exile, participants in a Special General Body
    Meeting, members of the Central Tibetan Administration, NGOs, Buddhists
    from the Himalayan region, Mongolia, Buddhist republics of the Russian
    Federation, and Buddhists in Asia including mainland China, have
    written to me with reasons, earnestly requesting that the institution
    of the Dalai Lama continue. In particular, I have received messages
    through various channels from Tibetans in Tibet making the same appeal.
    In accordance with all these requests, I am affirming that the
    institution of the Dalai Lama will continue.
        The process by which a future Dalai Lama is to be recognized has
    been clearly established in the 24 September 2011 statement which
    states that responsibility for doing so will rest exclusively with
    members of the Gaden Phodrang Trust, the Office of His Holiness the
    Dalai Lama. They should consult the various heads of the
    Tibetan Buddhist traditions and the reliable oath-bound Dharma
    Protectors who are linked inseparably to the lineage of the Dalai
    Lamas. They should accordingly carry out the procedures of search and
    recognition in accordance with past tradition.
        I hereby reiterate that the Gaden Phodrang Trust has sole authority
    to recognize the future reincarnation; no one else has any such
    authority to interfere in this
    matter.

    Dalai Lama

    Dharamshala
    21 May 2025

    [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

                              Witness Biographies

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