Chapter 6: International Reaction
This chapter aims to analyze in detail the responses, positions, and advocacy actions taken by the international community, major overseas media, human rights organizations, and the global ecumenical church network regarding the persecution of Chinese house churches in 2025. In 2025, the Chinese authorities' crackdown on house churches showed new characteristics of "national coordination" and "legal weaponization." From the mass arrests at Beijing Zion Church to the "fraud" conviction at Anhui Ganquan Church, and the continuous persecution of Shanxi Golden Lampstand Church, this series of systematic actions has aroused high concern from the international community. Analysis shows that international response has shifted from solidarity with individual cases to systematic criticism of China's religious governance model, but its marginal effect on improving the situation of core leaders remains limited in the short term.
I. Formal Response from Governments and Legislation: From Diplomatic Attention to Legislative Action
Formal responses from governments and parliaments usually take the form of legislative actions and executive statements. In 2025, facing the comprehensive escalation of the crackdown on Chinese house churches, legislative bodies in Western countries, led by the United States, reacted strongly, expanding their focus from single cases to the condemnation of "systematic persecution mechanisms."
1. Rapid Response from US Government and Congress
In October 2025, the "October 9" mass arrest targeting Beijing Zion Church became the fuse that triggered a strong international reaction. The US State Department issued a statement on October 12, strongly condemning the CCP's detention of house church leaders and urging the immediate and unconditional release of those arrested.[1]
The subsequent US Senate S.Res.463 Resolution went far beyond condemning a single case.[2] The resolution, jointly proposed by bipartisan senators, explicitly pointed out that the action against Zion Church was "the largest coordinated crackdown on urban house churches in 40 years," and used this as an entry point to condemn the Chinese government's systematic suppression of the entire house church. The resolution paid special attention to the trend of authorities using charges such as "illegal sharing of religious content" to cut off church internet connections, believing that this marks a comprehensive extension of persecution methods into the digital space.
Several members of the US Congress also publicly wrote to the US State Department, demanding pressure on China in diplomatic settings to release these house church leaders. Senators Ted Cruz and Jeff Merkley emphasized in the letter: "The Chinese government is targeting individuals solely for being convicted of worshipping freely."[3] In November, some members of both the US Senate and House of Representatives further called on the government to use all diplomatic tools to ensure the release of arrested pastors.
2. UN and Multi-Nation Joint Statements
On November 21, 2025, 15 countries including Albania, Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Japan issued a joint statement at the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly, expressing deep concern over serious human rights violations in China. The statement specifically mentioned China's restrictions on religious freedom and targeted repression of religious minorities (including Christians).[4]
The statement called on China to "release all individuals unjustly detained for merely exercising their human rights and fundamental freedoms" and urged China to "fully implement its obligations under international law."[4:1] At the same time, China, on the grounds of "opposing the politicization of human rights issues," joined about 80 other countries in issuing a counter-statement, but Western countries generally continued to express concern about religious freedom in China on human rights occasions.
3. Public Solidarity from European Officials
In addition to the United States, officials from many European countries also condemned China's persecution of house churches. Officials such as Thomas Rachel, the German Federal Government Commissioner for Freedom of Religion, and the UK Prime Minister's Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion successively expressed solidarity with the detained Zion Church pastors through social media, emphasizing that such suppression is unacceptable.[5] These policy-level statements reflect the concern and criticism of the situation of Chinese house churches in the official positions of various governments.
4. Legislative Concern: Legal Challenge of Generalized "Fraud" Charges
In 2025, international legislative bodies paid special attention to the trend of Chinese authorities using "fraud" charges to prosecute church leaders. Represented by the Anhui Hefei Ganquan Church Pastor Zhou Songlin case and the Xi'an Abundance Church Pastor Lian Changnian case, the authorities characterized traditional believer offerings as "fraudulent funds," a practice that aroused high vigilance from the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).[6]
In its annual report, USCIRF pointed out that this "legal weaponization" strategy aims to cut off the economic lifeline of the church and attempts to morally stigmatize clergy. The report recommended that the US government impose targeted sanctions on judicial officials involved in creating such unjust cases, marking the deepening of international intervention into specific judicial operations. USCIRF once again recommended designating China as a "Country of Particular Concern," emphasizing that the CCP's persecution of Christians and other religious groups has reached an extremely serious level.[6:1]
II. Characterization by Public Opinion and Human Rights Organizations: Defining "Systematic Persecution"
If government responses represent "hard" diplomatic pressure, then media and human rights organizations provide objective "soft" characterization of the situation through investigation and reporting, revealing the systematic and legal nature of the persecution.
1. Panoramic Reporting by Overseas Mainstream Media
In 2025, reports on Chinese house churches by overseas mainstream media were no longer limited to big cities like Beijing and Shanghai but showed a panoramic feature.
- Plight of Urban Churches: Media such as The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal focused on the Zion Church case, viewing it as a microcosm of the compression of faith space for China's urban middle class.[5:1]
- Persistence of Traditional Churches: The media also paid attention to the plight of traditional house churches such as Shanxi Linfen Golden Lampstand Church. As a large church with tens of thousands of believers, the experience of its leaders being repeatedly arrested and the church building being destroyed was described by the media as strong evidence of the CCP's attempt to "completely eliminate" unofficial religious influence.
2. Characterization by Human Rights Organizations: Legal Weaponization and Systematic Elimination
In their 2025 reports, international human rights organizations deeply analyzed the shift in the CCP's persecution methods—from crude administrative bans to refined Legal Weaponization.
Human Rights Watch pointed out in a press release on October 14, 2025, that the arbitrary detention of dozens of people from Zion Church by Chinese authorities "is the largest crackdown on urban house churches in recent decades," reflecting the continued escalation of the Chinese government's suppression of religious freedom.[7] Human Rights Watch called on governments to publicly condemn China's suppression of religious beliefs and pressure China to release Zion Church members and all house church believers illegally detained for their faith. The report bluntly stated that the Xi Jinping administration attempts to "Sinicize" religious beliefs and imposes severe persecution on non-compliant churches.
ChinaAid issued a statement on October 11, 2025, severely condemning the authorities for launching "the most serious wave of suppression in nearly forty years."[8] The organization emphasized that this nationwide crackdown flagrantly violates Article 36 of the Constitution of the People's Republic of China regarding the guarantee of freedom of religious belief, and also violates international standards established by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. ChinaAid pointed out that whether targeting emerging urban churches or traditional rural teams, the authorities' ultimate goal is consistent—to disintegrate the organized existence of house churches within ten years through a three-step strategy of "investigation, division, and elimination."[9]
International Christian Concern (ICC) released an analysis in mid-2025 stating that China is intensifying its crackdown on independent churches, including enacting stricter religious regulations and forcing house churches to join the official church system.[10]
Organizations like Open Doors reminded global Christians to pay attention to the plight of the Chinese church through articles and prayer guides, pointing out that the Zion Church incident shows that the Chinese church is facing the most severe trial in years.[11]
- Characterization Analysis of "Fraud" Charges: Regarding Hefei Ganquan Church and Xi'an Abundance Church (Pastor Lian Changnian case), human rights organizations pointed out that authorities characterize offerings within the church as "fraudulent proceeds" not only to impose heavy sentences (usually more than 10 years) but also to smear the image of pastors socially through the charge of "greed."[7:1]
- Abuse of "Illegal Business Operations" Charge: Regarding cases involving religious publications such as Foshan Shengjia Church, organizations analyzed that this is a means for authorities to attempt to monopolize the production and circulation of religious knowledge, aiming to establish an "ideological firewall."
III. Diplomatic Pressure: Bilateral Representations and Multilateral Pressure
1. Bilateral Diplomatic Representations
Governments of many countries expressed concern to China in bilateral settings, demanding an end to the persecution of house churches. In addition to public statements, the US government also raised religious freedom issues with China through diplomatic channels. After the October 2025 incident, senior US State Department officials reportedly mentioned the Zion Church case during meetings with Chinese counterparts, urging China to respect citizens' rights to freedom of religious belief (specific details of the representations were not disclosed).
Members of the US Congress wrote to the Secretary of State, demanding strong representations in diplomatic dialogues with China and considering sanctions against relevant Chinese officials.[3:1] The letter stated: "Pressure from the United States has the potential to save the lives of Pastor Jin Mingri and other detainees... We urge you to seize this moment."
2. Pressure in Multilateral Forums
On multilateral platforms such as the United Nations, democratic countries pressured the Chinese government through joint statements and speeches at the Human Rights Council. The aforementioned 15-nation UN statement is an example, calling on member states to use UN mechanisms to demand China correct human rights violations and pursue accountability.[4:2]
In addition, at international forums such as the 2025 Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom, representatives from participating countries also mentioned the issue of China's suppression of underground churches, emphasizing that religious freedom should be a universal value. Some countries also used the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process of the Human Rights Council to make specific recommendations to China, such as ending the arbitrary detention of religious figures and allowing house churches to gather freely. Although China usually refuses to accept such recommendations, this public pressure increased the pressure on China in human rights diplomacy.
3. Regional and Ally Cooperation
The G7 and the EU also included the issue of religious persecution when discussing human rights in China internally. Members of the European Parliament proposed a draft resolution in 2025 condemning China's persecution of Christians and other faith groups and urging the EU to include human rights conditions in its relations with China. Embassies of some countries (such as Canada and the Netherlands) in China privately contacted religious representatives to express concern about the situation of house churches.
As Human Rights Watch stated: "The Chinese government's suppression of religious activities is closely related to its measures to strengthen ideological control at home and abroad. Governments should ensure that the Chinese government is held accountable for these human rights violations and pressure the Chinese government to respect religious freedom."[7:2] These diplomatic initiatives, whether public or private, formed continuous pressure on the Chinese government, aiming to prompt it to improve the situation of religious freedom.
IV. "Spiritual" Connection of Faith Communities: Prayer Support and Fellowship Watch
Beyond political and legal games, the universal church and overseas Chinese church networks provided crucial spiritual support and grassroots connection, embodying the faith spirit of "if one member suffers, all suffer together."
1. IDOP China: 24-Hour Prayer Meeting
On November 10-11, 2025, overseas church groups initiated an "IDOP China" Online 24-Hour Prayer Meeting, focusing on interceding for the persecuted Chinese house church.[12] This event was held immediately following the "International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church" (IDOP) on the first Sunday of November each year, bringing together hundreds of pastors, believers, and religious freedom advocates from North America, Germany, Taiwan, South Korea, and other places.
The focus of the prayer meeting was the "Zion Case" that occurred in October—the arrest of Beijing Zion Church Senior Pastor Jin Mingri and more than twenty coworkers—which is regarded as one of the severest crackdowns on house churches in China in recent years. The meeting was co-hosted by several churches and organizations, including:
- Vancouver Truth Baptist Church (Canada)
- Harvest Chinese Christian Church (USA)
- Presbyterian Church in Taiwan
- ChinaAid
- Early Rain Ministries
- Dawn Church
- Mayflower Church
- Voice of the Martyrs Korea
The prayer meeting started at 5:00 AM Beijing time on November 11. This time choice stems from the morning prayer tradition of the Chinese church and the well-known hymn "Five O'Clock in the Morning in China." During the 24-hour uninterrupted online gathering, Christians of different countries, races, and denominations took turns leading prayers, singing hymns, and interceding for the suffering church in China. More than thousands of global believers participated online, including sharing and prayers from renowned evangelist Pastor Stephen Tong.[12:1]
Pastor Zhang Boli, Senior Pastor of Harvest Chinese Christian Church in the US, stated in his opening speech that after Pastor Jin Mingri was arrested, overseas churches broke their long-term silence and responded to the incident with public intercession and joint solidarity. This prayer meeting was also proposed to establish a "Global Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church in China," aiming to gather the strength of the universal church to pray and watch for China in the long term.
2. Broad Coverage of International Intercession: IDOP 2025
The International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP) is an important window for the global church to pay attention to suffering members. The theme of IDOP 2025 (November) was "Faithful to the End," with a special focus on "oppressed pastors."[13]
This broad list of concerns sends a clear signal to persecuted groups: regardless of the size of the church, whether in the city or on the frontier, the universal church has not forgotten any servant who suffers for the Lord. In addition, Pastor Wang Yi receiving the NED Democracy Award in 2025 was also interpreted by the universal church as a collective affirmation of the group he represents who "suffer for freedom of conscience."
3. Intercession Initiatives and Networks
In addition to large-scale prayer meetings, the universal church also expressed prayer support through various initiatives. In November 2025, overseas Chinese pastors jointly issued the "Global Day of Prayer for China Initiative," calling on global churches and believers to pray and watch for the Chinese church simultaneously on specific days. This initiative was echoed by many church networks, corresponding to the annual Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. Church fellowships and prayer groups in various countries listed Chinese house churches as prayer items, and some churches held special prayer meetings, vigils, or established weekly prayer times to pray for peace for Chinese believers.
Tags such as #PrayForChinaChurch also appeared on social media, encouraging believers to fast and pray for persecuted Christians in China. International mission agencies released prayer guides providing specific prayer items (such as praying for imprisoned pastor families, churches maintaining faith under oppression, etc.). It can be said that the universal church, linked by prayer, "weeps with those who weep" (1 Corinthians 12:26) with the Chinese house church, giving great spiritual support and comfort.[12:2] This wave of global intercession not only strengthened the faith of suppressed believers but also demonstrated the united and firm testimony of God's church to the CCP authorities.
4. Holistic Solidarity of Overseas Chinese Churches
In responding to domestic persecution, overseas Chinese churches played a key hub role connecting the Chinese and Western worlds, and their solidarity objects also showed holistic characteristics.
The "Nicodemus Truth Seeker Society" initiated by Zhang Tan, in collaboration with organizations such as Vancouver Truth Baptist Church and the Cheng Guang Society, held several prayer meetings and seminars in 2025.[14] These activities not only focused on sudden cases like Zion Church but also deeply explored the challenge of "Sinicization of Christianity" theology to the Chinese church as a whole.
Overseas churches built a spiritual support network across borders by issuing joint statements, translating testimony articles, and funding families of the persecuted (such as Yang Aiqing, wife of Elder Zhang Chunlei, and Jiang Rong, wife of Pastor Wang Yi). This support emphasizes that overseas churches are not "bystanders" but "fellow travelers" facing spiritual warfare together with domestic churches.
V. On-the-Ground Aid: From Asylum Channels to Transnational Care
1. Asylum and Rescue Channels
International religious rights organizations and overseas church groups played a key role in helping persecuted Chinese Christians seek asylum. Organizations like ChinaAid assist persecuted house church leaders and their families in applying for asylum and contacting third countries for resettlement year-round. According to Bob Fu, the head of the association, they are communicating with the US Congress to promote rescue operations and find a way out for pastors suffering from this round of persecution.[12:3]
A famous case is the "Mayflower Church": 63 believers from Shenzhen Holy Reformed Church were forced to flee due to long-term persecution. With the concerted efforts of international organizations and church networks, they traveled for several years and finally arrived safely in the United States on the eve of Easter 2023, obtaining religious asylum.[15] This event highlights the efforts of overseas churches to provide asylum channels: the United States and relevant countries avoided the danger of their repatriation to China through diplomatic negotiations, and they were finally accepted and settled by the Texas church community.
In 2025, similar rescue attempts were still ongoing; it is reported that some house church believers were seeking a way out in Hong Kong, Singapore, and other places, and overseas institutions were assisting in handling refugee applications and resettlement.
2. Resource and Legal Support
Overseas Christian organizations and legal aid agencies also provided various practical supports for Chinese house churches. Some church groups secretly raised funds to provide spiritual resource supplies such as Bibles and hymnbooks for raided house churches; others transported secure communication devices and encrypted Bible apps to Chinese believers through non-public channels to help them maintain their faith life under high pressure.
The international human rights lawyer network paid attention to Chinese religious persecution cases. Although they could not appear in court directly in China to defend, they provided legal aid by cooperating with local lawyers and submitting reports to the United Nations. For example, after Pastor Jin Mingri and others were arrested, overseas lawyers helped their families understand their legal rights and assisted in submitting case information to the UN human rights complaint mechanism, attempting to apply pressure through international legal channels.
In terms of psychological and pastoral support, overseas Chinese churches provided psychological counseling and comfort to families of the persecuted through letters, videos, and other caring methods. Some house church refugees who fled abroad were also arranged to stay temporarily in Christian families, receiving pastoral care from local churches to heal the trauma left by persecution in China.
3. Transnational Care Action: "Letter Writing Campaign for Imprisoned Members"
In 2025, a Christian fellowship named "Luke Alliance" initiated a "Letter Writing Campaign for Imprisoned Members", calling on global believers to send encouraging letters to imprisoned Chinese pastors.[16] Although these letters may not be directly delivered to the prisoners, the organizers pointed out: even if intercepted by prison authorities, it is equivalent to preaching the gospel to the guards; and a large number of letters flooding into the prison itself reminds the CCP authorities—the global church has not forgotten these righteous people in prison.[16:1]
Within a few months, Christians from dozens of countries participated in this action, and hundreds of care letters were sent to detention centers such as Beihai Detention Center in Guangxi where Zion Church pastors were detained, effectively increasing the caution of prison authorities in treating these prisoners of conscience. As the initiative stated: "Forgotten prisoners often suffer worse treatment; and when global members remember them, they fight for more humane treatment for them."[16:2]
Through these caring actions across borders, the universal church practiced the mutual watch and help of being members of the same body of Christ with practical actions, providing valuable support and hope for brothers and sisters persecuted in China.
VI. Assessment and Challenges: Analysis of the Effectiveness of International Intervention
1. Effectiveness Assessment: High Attention and Limited Direct Improvement
Overall, the international community's response to the persecution of Chinese house churches in 2025 demonstrated rapidity and breadth. From the sudden arrest of Zion Church to the long-term trial of Ganquan Church, the international community maintained a high frequency of speaking out. This attention successfully prevented the authorities' attempt to "silence" or "desensitize" these cases, maintaining the victims' dominance in the narrative.
However, it must be admitted that international intervention has had limited impact on the judicial results of core cases in the short term. Despite strong international pressure, most leaders, including Jin Mingri, Zhou Songlin, and Hao Ming, remain in detention or serving sentences. This indicates that when crackdown actions are included in the unified deployment of national security and ideological control, external pressure is difficult to directly change internal law enforcement decisions.
2. Future Challenges: Transnational Repression and Digital Totalitarianism
Looking ahead, the interaction between the international community and the Chinese church faces two main challenges:
- Transnational Repression: The CCP is increasingly attempting to silence overseas voices through harassment of overseas relatives and cyber intimidation. This requires the international community to establish better protection mechanisms to ensure the safety of overseas asylum seekers.
- Digital Totalitarianism: As persecution shifts to the digital space (such as criminalizing "illegal sharing of religious content"), international advocacy needs to pay more attention to digital human rights and support the church in developing decentralized digital survival capabilities.
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