October 2016 – Government officials in Zhejiang province are enforcing a new law that orders churches to turn over all tithes and church income to state authorities.
“[In addition], we have to obtain the government’s permission if we would like to buy equipment or decorate the church,” an anonymous source reported to China Aid. “We will have to ask for permission for any expenses of more than a few thousand yuan.”
The law comes on the back of heavy persecution in the past few years as the government has torn down churches and arrested hundreds of Christian pastors and lawyers.
This year, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom designated China as one of the worst violators of religious freedom, and Human Rights Watch listed China as a major violator.
