In a bold move, the U.S. State Department has declared its intention to enforce visa restrictions on Chinese officials implicated in the oppression of religious and ethnic minorities within China.

This action responds to the People’s Republic of China’s disregard for its human rights obligations. The backdrop to this decision is a series of reports shedding light on Beijing’s relentless persecution and suppression of religious believers. The State Department’s 2023 report on international religious freedom paints a grim picture of the Chinese Communist Party’s iron-fisted control over religious groups, resulting in a litany of human rights abuses, including harassment, torture, arrest, detainment, and even death. This decisive action by the U.S. government reaffirms its unwavering commitment to the global protection of human rights and religious freedom.

State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller emphasized that the PRC has not fulfilled its obligations to respect and protect human rights. "We are taking steps today to impose visa restrictions on PRC officials due to their involvement in the repression of marginalized religious and ethnic communities," Miller stated in a press statement on July 12. However, he did not disclose the identities of the officials who would be affected by these visa restrictions or the number of individuals involved.

This announcement follows numerous reports highlighting Beijing's continuous oppression and harassment of religious followers. It also comes at a time when there are increasing demands in Congress and other platforms for measures to safeguard the rights of persecuted groups in China.

The 2023 State Department report on international religious freedom reveals the Chinese Communist Party's ongoing suppression of religious groups, citing evidence from NGOs and media. The CCP's restrictive control over religious freedom, particularly towards groups seen as threats, is highlighted. Followers of these faith groups endure severe hardships, including harassment, torture, arrest, detainment, physical abuse, and even death. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom's May report identified China's communist regime as one of the world's most egregious violators of religious freedom and a leading actor in cross-border repression and other harmful activities.

The 2023 report from the commission highlighted a decline in religious freedom in China as the regime intensified its "sinicization of religion," mandating adherence to the CCP's ideology and policies by all major religious groups. This sinicization necessitates compliance with the CCP's Marxist interpretation of religion, even to the extent of modifying religious texts and doctrines. The report also revealed the disturbing practice of organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners and Uyghurs, sometimes while the victims are still alive.

In a recent move, the House approved the Falun Gong Protection Act, aimed at countering the CCP's organ harvesting crimes and putting an end to the long-standing persecution of the spiritual group Falun Dafa. Furthermore, the House had previously passed the Stop Forced Organ Harvesting Act of 2023 in the preceding year.

The commission urged the U.S. Federal government to "continue sanctions, in collaboration with partners, against Chinese authorities and entities responsible for severe violations of religious freedom." It further approached Congress to prohibit foreign lobbying by agents representing the Chinese government and its state-affiliated business entities that undermine religious freedom and related human rights.

The commission also urged the State Department to re-designate China as a "country of particular concern" for "engaging in systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom," as outlined in the International Religious Freedom Act. Washington frequently uses visa restrictions to target Chinese officials involved in human rights violations. In August last year, the State Department imposed visa restrictions on Chinese officials due to their role in the forced assimilation of over 1 million Tibetan children in government-run boarding schools. In May this year, the State Department also imposed visa restrictions on Chinese and Hong Kong officials over the guilty verdict handed down to 14 Hong Kong pro-democracy activists under the Beijing-imposed National Security Law.