Trump, Xi Meet; US Demands Religious Freedom in China
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- President Trump and President Xi met this week, discussing trade, tariffs and China’s tightening grip on religion.
- Chinese Communist Party spends billions each year to control or suppress religious groups, viewing independent faith as a threat to party authority.
- U.S. officials are urged to place persecuted Chinese believers at the center of human‑rights engagement, including meetings with detained Christians, Uyghur Muslims and Falun Gong practitioners.
- Dalai Lama could be met by the U.S. Vice President or Secretary of State in Dharamshala, India, to discuss Tibet’s plight.
- President Trump should hand Xi a list of detained religious leaders, such as jailed Catholic bishops and Pastor Ezra Jin, and request their release.
- U.S. should lead an international effort to set standards against the export and use of surveillance technology used to monitor worship and restrict online belief.
- Vatican is urged to speak publicly and more forcefully on religious freedom in China, including the imprisonment of Catholic bishops.
Why it matters: By centering persecuted Chinese believers in its human‑rights agenda, the United States gains a moral lever against Beijing’s repression, while religious minorities stand to receive diplomatic advocacy; China loses a safe‑haven for independent faith groups and faces heightened international scrutiny of its surveillance‑driven control.
