GUANGZHOU: LONGTIME AMERICAN MISSIONARY COUPLE DEPORTED AS CHURCH CRACKDOWN WORSENS
A religious suppression campaign in Guangzhou, a major industrial city in southern China, escalated this month with a church raid, the deportation of a longtime American missionary couple, and the arrest of Chinese Christians for distributing printed Christian materials. That’s the report from Voice of the Martyrs Korea and its US-based sister organization, China Aid. They say that local law enforcement raided Yongji Church on April 12, leading to the immediate deportation of an American Christian couple who had served in China for three decades. Also on the same day, in an unrelated operation, Chinese Christian Zheng Shulin was arrested and charged with “illegal business operations” on suspicion of distributing literature on Christian apologetics and creation science.
On April 12, another Christian, Ms. Li Yuesui, was also arrested in Guangzhou. It is reported that Ms. Li was accused of receiving orders for the Christian publications being distributed by Mr. Zheng. At present, Mr. Zheng and Ms. Li are both being detained in Guangzhou.
“Guangzhou was once one of the most active areas for house churches in China,” says Representative Foley. “Each of these incidents looked at individually raises concerns, but when they all happen together in the same month in the same city, they show a serious surge in government activity against Guangzhou’s Christian community. We need to pray urgently to the Lord for the Christians of Guangzhou, that he will grant them to continue to serve him without fear. And we need to pray for and support those who have been arrested and expelled because of their faithful witness to the Lord.”
Representative Foley says that the American Christian couple who were deported had lived and served in Guangzhou for nearly three decades and were known among local believers as “godly and low-key”. Dr. Bob Fu, President of the China Aid Association, says the deportations reflect increasing efforts by Chinese authorities to eliminate foreign religious figures in the country even those that serve quietly and have deep community connections.
Separately, the prosecutor’s office accused Mr. Zheng of conducting “illegal business operations” mail. However, Representative Foley says that people close to Mr. Zheng who are familiar with the matter strongly question this. “This case does not involve any commercial activities or political communications on the part of Mr. Zheng at all,” says Representative Foley. “There is no profit motive or actual profit in Mr. Zheng’s ministry.” China Aid President Bob Fu commented: “This is clearly a means of criminalizing religious expression. In China, the charge of ‘illegal business operations’ is often used to combat ideas that the government deems to be spread without permission, even if the parties involved have no incentive to profit.”
Guangzho Yongji Church
Mr. Zheng is currently in criminal detention. Under China’s criminal procedure law, authorities have 37 days to determine whether to move forward with a formal arrest.
Representative Foley says, “In recent years, under the direction of the Communist Party leadership, China has continued to strengthen the ‘Sinicization’ process of religious affairs, aiming to completely eliminate the influence of so-called ‘foreign religious forces’. This crackdown in Guangzhou is further evidence of that strategy in action. It must be countered through prayer as well as the public awareness of Christians around the world.”
The Guangzhou Municipal Public Security Bureau has not yet issued a public comment on the above cases.
Individuals interested in donating to Voice of the Martyrs Korea’s work in partnership with the house church Christians of China can visit www.vomkorea.com/en/donation or give via electronic transfer to: KB Bank: 463501-01-243303 Account Holder: (사)순교자의소리 Please note “China” on the transfer.