Red China

Martial law was declared on May 20, 1989. Late on June 3 and early on the morning of June 4, military units were brought into Beijing. They used armed force to clear demonstrators from the streets. There are no official estimates of deaths in Beijing, but most observers believe that casualties numbered in the hundreds. ...

While the Chinese constitution affirms religious toleration, the Chinese Government places restrictions on religious practice outside officially recognized organizations. Only two Christian organizations--a Catholic church without official ties to Rome and the "Three-Self-Patriotic" Protestant church--are sanctioned by the Chinese Government. Unauthorized churches have sprung up in many parts of the country and unofficial religious practice is flourishing. In some regions authorities have tried to control activities of these unregistered churches. In other regions, registered and unregistered groups are treated similarly by authorities and congregations worship in both types of churches. Most Chinese Catholic bishops are recognized by the Pope, and official priests have Vatican approval to administer all the sacraments. ... [Read More]

China (includes Tibet, Hong Kong, and Macau)

According to researchers, the country had 20 "ankang" institutions, high-security psychiatric hospitals for the criminally insane, directly administered by the Ministry of Public Security (MPS). Dissidents and other targeted individuals were housed with mentally ill patients in these institutions. The regulations for committing a person into an ankang psychiatric facility were not clear. Credible reports indicated that a number of political and trade union dissidents, "underground" religious believers, persons who petitioned the Government for redress of grievances, and hundreds of Falun Gong adherents were incarcerated in such facilities during the year. For example, political activist Wang Wanxing, originally held for trying to unfurl a banner on Tiananmen Square to commemorate the third anniversary of the June 4, 1989 massacre, was confined in a Beijing ankang facility. Huang Jinchun, a judge in Beihai, fired from his job and admitted to a psychiatric hospital in November 1999 for r ... [Read More]

Tips for Travelers to China

Entry and Other Visa Requirements To enter the People’s Republic of China, a U.S. citizen must have a valid U.S. passport and Chinese visa. Americans arriving without valid passports and Chinese visas are generally not permitted to enter China and may also be subject to fines. Please do not rely on Chinese host organizations claiming to be able to arrange visa issuance upon arrival. For information about entry requirements and restricted areas, travelers may consult the Embassy of the Peopl ... [Read More]

China (includes Tibet, Hong Kong, and Macau)

According to foreign researchers, the country had 20 "ankang" institutions (high-security psychiatric hospitals for the criminally insane) directly administered by the MPS. Some dissidents and other targeted individuals were housed with mentally ill patients in these institutions. The regulations for committing a person into an ankang psychiatric facility were not clear. Credible reports indicated that a number of political and trade union activists, "underground" religious believers, persons who repeatedly petitioned the Government for redress of grievances, members of the banned China Democratic Party, and hundreds of Falun Gong adherents were incarcerated in such facilities during the year. These included Wang Miaogen, Wang Chanhao, Pan Zhiming, and Li Da, who were reportedly held in an ankang facility run by the Shanghai Public Security Bureau. According to NGO reports, more than 30 persons were committed during 2002 to the Harbin Psychiatric Hospital against their will after petit ... [Read More]

2004 Summary of China Request to U.S. Under Article 9 of the 1970 UNESCO Convention

Buddhist statuary in wood, stone, clay, gold, bronze and porcelain are some of the finest examples of Tang art. Some of the monasteries that contained these artifacts are still extant today. Other underground Buddhist pagodas hold other treasured artifacts. For example the underground palace of Famen Temple in Fufeng has produced over a hundred gold vessels and silverware, and hundreds of pieces of glazed and unglazed porcelain as well as iron, wood and stone vessels.Song, Liao, Western Xia, Jin and Yuan Dynasties ... [Read More]

China (includes Tibet, Hong Kong, and Macau)

Local authorities' handling of unregistered religious groups, particularly Protestant "house churches," varied widely. In certain regions, Government supervision of religious activity was minimal, and registered and unregistered Protestant and Catholic churches existed openly side-by-side and were treated similarly by the authorities. In such areas, many congregants worshipped in both types of churches, and congregants in unregistered churches procured Bibles at official churches. In some parts of the country, unregistered house churches with hundreds of members met openly, with the full knowledge of local authorities, who characterized the meetings as informal gatherings to pray, sing, and study the Bible. In other areas, house church meetings of more than a handful of family members and friends were strictly proscribed. House churches often encountered difficulties when their membership grew, when they arranged for the regular use of facilities for the purpose of co ... [Read More]

China (Includes Hong Kong and Macau)

There is significant variation in how the authorities deal with unregistered religious groups, and the intensity of scrutiny on "house churches" or unregistered churches varied from region to region. In certain regions, government supervision of religious activity was minimal, and registered and unregistered churches were treated similarly by authorities, existing openly side by side. Coexistence and cooperation between official and unofficial churches in such areas, both Catholic and Protestant, is close enough to blur the line between the two. In these areas, many congregants worship in both types of churches. However, in some areas relations between the two churches remained hostile. In other regions, particularly where considerable unofficial and official religious activity takes place, such as in Zhejiang, Guangxi, Shanghai, and Chongqing, local regulations call for strict government oversight of religion and authorities have cracked down on unregistered churches and their members ... [Read More]

Department of State Washington File: Text: Senator Helms Backs Thompson Amendment to China PNTR Bill

Thompson offered the measure on China's weapons proliferation activities, titled the China Nonproliferation Act, as an amendment to the PNTR bill after several unsuccessful efforts to have it considered separately. Senator Robert Torricelli (Democrat of New Jersey) co-authored the measure. ...

As I see it, the obvious benefit of the Thompson-Torricelli amendment is two-fold. First and foremost, the amendment underscores the Senate's concern over Red China's ongoing trade in the deadliest types of weapons technology with terrorist nations. Under no circumstance, Mr. President, should the Senate let this moment pass without deploring China's behavior and raising the stakes for China's continued assistance to the likes of North Korea, Iran, and Libya. It is impossible to overstate how critical this is, at a time when the commercial interests of the United States clearly predominate over national security. concerns. ... [Read More]

U.S. Official Defends Export Controls on Dual-Use Items for China - US Department of State
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International Adoption China

FY-2000: IR-3 Visas - 4, 520, IR-4 Visas - 533 CHINA ADOPTION AUTHORITY: The government office responsible for adoptions in China is the Ministry of Civil Affairs, specifically the CCAA. CHINA ADOPTION PROCEDURES: An agency may submit adoption applications directly to the CCAA for consideration. Included with the application should be all the required documents (you''ll find the list in documentary requirements) with authentications and translations. In addition, eac ... [Read More]