Religious Round-up: Amcit Missionaries Denied

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 GUANGZHOU 032321

SIPDIS

C O N F I D E N T I A L

SIPDIS
SIPDIS

STATE FOR EAP/CM, DRL and IRF
PACOM FOR FPA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/27/16
TAGS: PHUM CH
SUBJECT: Religious Round-up: Amcit Missionaries Denied
Visas/Permits, Others Detained and New GZ Bishop

REF: A) Guangzhou 21213; B) Beijing 9291


1. (U) Classified by Consul General Robert Goldberg.
Reason 1.4 (d).


2. (C) SUMMARY: Several recent incidents may highlight
the Guangzhou's Religious Affairs Bureau (RAB) intent to
make a religiously restrictive environment for Christian
missionaries. Four Amcit Protestant "tentmaker"
missionaries were recently denied permission to stay in
China. Three months earlier, two other missionaries were
detained for participating in an unregistered bible study
and were ordered to leave China within 24 hours. One of
the missionaries told poloff that this was the first
deportation of one of his organization's missionaries from
China. Sources also say that Guangzhou has quietly elected
a new bishop, the election of whom could spark a new
conflict with the Vatican. END SUMMARY.

Tight Control of Protestant "Tentmakers"
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3. (SBU) In recent months, we have been informed of
possible PRC government discrimination of four different
Amcit Protestant "tentmakers" (missionaries who maintain
full-time jobs) in Guangzhou. We do not know the
organizations these missionaries represent, but they have
reportedly been working in Guangzhou for a number of years
either as English language teachers or in small businesses.
Two of the missionaries have been denied extension of
residency permits and two others were denied visa
extensions. The missionaries may now be applying for
tourist visas, rather than for work permits or residency
permits, in order to continue their work in China.

Missionaries Detained
--------------


4. (C) Several missionaries have also been detained and
deported from China. A few months ago Amcits Jason
Benedict and Jerome Smith had been in China for less than
two weeks before they were detained on August 29 for
leading an unregistered bible study. The men were
missionaries from the group, Accelerating International
Mission Strategies (AIMS),based in Virginia Beach, VA. On
October 18, Benedict contacted Congenoff over the phone
from the United States to provide details about the
incident. At the time he and his colleague were detained,
they were leading a prayer and bible study group of 30
Chinese citizens. During the meeting, approximately 40
Public Security Bureau (PSB) officers broke into the
apartment. They confiscated the bibles and day-planner of
one of the Chinese Christian leaders and told Benedict to
turn off his mobile phone. Benedict, Smith and a few
Chinese Christian leaders were immediately taken to a local
PSB station. The detainees were questioned separately for
about three hours. A representative from the Baiyun
District (Guangzhou Municipality) Religious Affairs Bureau
(RAB) led the questioning, which focused on the Amcits'
Chinese contacts, specifically the names of the Chinese
organization, religious leaders and followers. The
following day, after Consulate intervention, PSB officers
read a statement that the Amcits had participated in
"illegal religious activities" and instructed them to leave
mainland China by the following day.

New Bishop in Guangzhou
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5. (C) The Consulate has heard from a number of sources
that in October, after a number of years without a bishop,
Guangzhou elected a new bishop. Bishop Jin, age 47, was
the youngest and most qualified of the candidates and
received 36 of a total 44 votes. The Vatican has yet to
confirm the election and contacts were unsure why the
election has been kept a secret. In April and May, Bishops
for Kunming City and Anhui province were elected by the
Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association (the State
organization that oversees the Catholic Church in China)
without Vatican approval (ref B). The elections received
much publicity, leading to a diplomatic conflict between
the Vatican and Beijing. It is unclear whether this
election will have the same effect.

Comment: "The Nail that Sticks Up"

GUANGZHOU 00032321 002 OF 002


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6. (C) While detention and harassment of American
missionaries has not been a frequent occurrence in
Guangdong lately, there is no question that, perhaps due to
its close proximity to Hong Kong's vocal Falun Gong
activists, the Provincial RAB keeps a much closer watch on
the area's religious groups. Contacts have reported that
Guangzhou's religious atmosphere towards Christians is more
restrictive than in the Dongguan or Shenzhen. For example,
the Guangzhou International Christian Fellowship (GICF)
rigorously checks passports of visitors to its service (to
ensure no local Chinese visitors),whereas expatriate
churches in other cities are more relaxed (ref A). At the
same time, there are missionaries and local Chinese
Christians working in Guangdong's unregistered churches
without hindrance generally as long as they keep a low
profile. It is possible that this case matches the Chinese
proverb, "The nail that sticks up gets pounded down."

GOLDBERG