SARA VM WANG DISCUSSES PARTY VIEW ON RELIGION,

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BEIJING 000036

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SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EAP/CM, DRL/IRF
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E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/03/2018
TAGS: PREL PHUM PGOV KIRF CH TW
SUBJECT: SARA VM WANG DISCUSSES PARTY VIEW ON RELIGION,
UPCOMING VISITS


Classified By: Ambassador Clark T. Randt, Jr.; Reasons 1.4 (b/d).

Summary
--------------


1. (C) The Ambassador hosted State Administration for
Religious Affairs (SARA) Vice Minister Wang Zuoan for a
January 3 lunch. VM Wang said experts briefed Politburo
members about trends in religious development at a December
18 "collective study" session. President Hu also spoke at
the December 18 session, emphasizing the positive role of
religion in promoting social stability and harmony. Wang
said that President Hu's speech urges support for religious
organizations to train more qualified clergy. Wang said that
China and the Vatican "should be able to reach agreement" on
issues blocking normalization but that the timing of
normalization is not tied to the Olympics. Wang acknowledged
the rapid growth of Protestantism and Buddhism and the
widespread practice of folk religion in China. In response
to the Ambassador's inquiry regarding conditions for Chinese
Protestants, Wang said the problem of church registration is
more complicated than it is portrayedin Western media. Wang
and SARA Minister Ye iaowen may both visit the United States
in2008. On January 8, the China Christian Counci (CCC)
will open meetings to appoint new leaders. End Summary.

Politburo Collective Study on Religious Work; Party Views
Religion Positively
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2. (C) On January 3, the Ambassador hosted SARA VM Wang Zuoan
for lunch. Wang said he attended the Politburo's December 18
collective study session on religious work, the 47th in a
series of monthly study sessions to brief Politburo members
on wide-ranging issues in Chinese society. Two religious
affairs experts, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Zhuo
Xingping and Beijing Central Ethnic University's Mou
Zhongjian, gave lectures. Politburo members then
participated in a discussion and heard President Hu Jintao's
"comprehensive speech." Wang noted that Hu's speech received
wide media coverage and that outside observers parsed the
speech for new meaning. In reality, Wang said, the speech
merely explains the portion of President Hu's 17th Party
Congress report mentioning religion and affirms the Communist
Party's positive view of religion. In the past, Wang said,
the Party viewed religion negatively.


3. (C) The 17th Party Congress discussed the positive role of
religion in the development of society, including religion's
role in promoting social harmony. Religion, Wang said, can
make a special contribution to social harmony by encouraging
charitable endeavors. "Government can't do everything," Wang
said, and China needs to gradually establish a "society of
citizenship." Wang said he does not worry about the
"natural" continued growth and development of the "five
official" religions. The biggest challenge China faces in
the area of religion, Wang said, is to avoid conflict between
believers and non-believers and between adherents of
different faiths.

President Hu Supports Religious Training; China Needs More
Qualified Clergy
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4. (C) Wang said outsiders who have not been to China have
difficulty imagining the type of "heresy" that exists in
rural areas of China where there are no qualified clergy.
Therefore, China's churches must train many more qualified
pastors to send to rural areas. A key sentence in President
Hu's December 18 speech, Wang said, urges "support for
religious organizations to train qualified clergy." China
welcomes and encourages religious exchanges between the
United States and China that provide training opportunities
for Chinese clergy. Wang said many U.S. religious
organizations already cooperate with Chinese religious
institutions to promote theological education and charity
work.

Sino-Vatican Agreement Possible but Timing Not Tied to
Olympics
-------------- --------------


5. (C) The Ambassador stressed that China should take steps
to improve relations with the Vatican. Wang said he believes
China should respect religion and that the Vatican should
recognize "historical factors" that complicate its
relationship with China. On this basis, Wang said, China and
the Vatican "should be able to reach agreement" on issues

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that have impeded normalization of relations. Wang said he
is "confident the Sino-Vatican relationship will improve,"
but noted that the timing of any improvement is not tied to
the 2008 Olympics. "Internal affairs" at the Vatican are
"very complicated" and the Vatican frequently changes its
positions, Wang alleged. SARA sent a private letter thanking
the Pope for his decision not to meet with the Dalai Lama in
December 2007. Wang said SARA understands that the decision
not to meet was difficult for the Pope, and said that China
"should recognize good things" such as this.


6. (C) Wang said that the biggest obstacles to normalization
of Sino-Vatican relations include disagreement over the
appointment of bishops and the Vatican's recognition of
Taiwan. The Vatican maintains that Taiwan is not a problem
since it is willing to establish diplomatic relations with
Beijing. But, Wang said, Taiwan remains a problem for
Beijing because China wants resolution of the Taiwan issue
before settling the issue of bishop appointments. According
to Wang, "both sides think these issues can be resolved."

Protestant Christianity and Buddhism Growing Rapidly; Folk
Religion Adherents Also Numerous
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7. (C) Wang said China's fastest-growing religions are
Protestant Christianity and Buddhism. Statistical evidence
suggests that Protestantism has the fastest growth rate, and
the expansion of Christianity in China outpaces that of most
other countries. Wang said the number of Chinese Buddhists
has also increased rapidly but this number is harder to
quantify. Wang estimated that there are 100 million
believers of all faiths in China, based on hard data and
softer approximations. It would be too sensitive for China
to attempt a more accurate count, Wang said, because overseas
media would complain that China is requiring individuals to
disclose their religious affiliation.


8. (C) Wang said that folk religions have "very deep roots"
in China and acknowledged that some experts believe the
number of persons practicing folk religion is as great as the
number of persons adhering to China's five official
religions. China "appreciates" folk beliefs and does not
seek to "administer" them, Wang said. Folk beliefs, Wang
stated, are unlike the "heresies" some Chinese religionists
spin from Western religions.

Church Registration More Complicated Than Western Media
Portray
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9. (C) In response to the Ambassador's inquiry regarding
conditions for Chinese Protestants, Wang said that
registration of Protestant Christian groups is "complicated"
in China. Western media oversimplify the situation by
classifying Protestant groups as "official congregations" or
"house congregations." But, Wang said, some groups choose to
meet in homes because they live too far from a church to
attend conveniently. The Chinese Government does not
"manage" these groups. Practical obstacles to building
churches sometimes prevent registration for groups that would
otherwise qualify under the 2005 Regulations on Religious
Affairs. SARA, for example, must negotiate with other
ministries to obtain approvals allowing churches to be built.
Some groups avoid registration because they have "bad
relations with the Three-Self Patriotic Movement" or because
they receive adequate overseas funding and want to remain
independent of the CCC. Leaders of other groups oppose
registration for self-interested reasons, fearing that it
will cut off sources of income. At the "grass roots level,"
Wang said, many Protestants do not understand that they
should register. Wang said SARA conducts educational
campaigns urging registration as a means of obtaining
protection under the law.

SARA Leaders May Visit the United States in 2008; CCC Soon To
Appoint New Leaders
-------------- --------------


10. (C) VM Wang is considering two invitations to travel to
the United States in 2008, one from several Baptist
organizations including the Baptist World Alliance and the
other from the Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS). Wang
particularly wants to attend activities sponsored by DTS,
which will address relations between major world religions
and focus on improving relations between U.S. and Chinese
religious organizations. VM Wang said that DTS has built
good relationships with SARA, the CCC and Protestant churches

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in Beijing. Some Chinese church leaders do not want Wang to
accept the DTS invitation because they believe DTS is "too
conservative" socially and because they reject the strict DTS
interpretation of the Bible. If the DTS trip is to take
place, Wang said, he must persuade Chinese Christian leaders
that his visit should go forward despite these theological
differences.


11. (C) VM Wang said SARA Minister Ye Xiaowen may travel to
the United States during the first half of 2008. Minister Ye
is considering a trip during which he would sign a cultural
exchange agreement with Georgetown University and attend the
February launch of a book by Christian evangelist and author
Luis Palau. Wang also thanked the Ambassador for the
Embassy's help in facilitating prior U.S. visits, including
the Chinese Bible Exhibit that toured the United States in

2006. Wang said the Exhibit resulted in visits by more than
20 U.S. religious groups to China in 2007 and that he expects
an additional 10 delegations to visit China in 2008.


12. (C) Wang said that on January 8, the CCC will open
national meetings to appoint new leaders to replace those
leaders who have reached 75 years of age and thus, according
to the CCC's charter, must retire.
RANDT