Underground churches face China's wrath

From Mike Chinoy
CNN

HONG KONG (CNN) -- It's increasingly common in China to see churches packed with devout followers who publicly express their faith with the blessing of the Chinese government.

Also increasingly common, however, are underground churches whose members don't recognize the Communist Party's authority over religious matters.

Hong Kong resident Li Guangqiang, 38, is facing criminal charges for allegedly smuggling more than 16,000 Bibles to a banned Christian group in China. If convicted, he could face the death penalty.

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"Li knew the potential dangers, but he felt that if he could help get Bibles to Christians in China, it was worth the risk," said a friend of Li's who is a member of the same Hong Kong church. The congregation is known as "the Shouters" because members shout their devotion to Jesus Christ.

U.S. President Bush has taken a personal interest in the case and asked the State Department to look into it.

"The president is deeply concerned about these reports," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said.

In response, the Chinese government has said the case is not about Bibles but about unofficial Christian groups that Beijing describes as "evil cults."

"His case is not a question of shipping Bibles in the mainland at all," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Sun Yuxi said.

"He used this as an excuse to ship large amounts of evil cult propaganda books and has broken Chinese laws," Sun said. "This case will be handled according to Chinese law, and no other country has the right to disturb the legislative independence of China."

What worries the Chinese authorities is that the underground churches are strongest in China's poorest provinces, which have been left behind in the country's economic boom. Critics say Beijing fears that popular discontent and unsanctioned religious activity will generate political unrest.

"These religious groups have their own organizational structure, and what the Chinese government is most afraid of is powerful, independently organized activities," Chinese human rights monitor Lu Siqing said.

Jean-Pierre Cabestan of the French Centre for Research on Contemporary China said repression of underground organizations has been increasing.

"There have been churches and temples destroyed by the authorities because they weren't legally constructed," Cabestan said. "More and more of these activities have been repressed."

Fueling Beijing's anxiety is the fact that Christians outside the mainland, such as Li and his friends in Hong Kong, are providing material support to their independent-minded colleagues across the border.