The State Administration of Religious Affairs today issued Rules
for the Implementation of the Provisions on the Administration of
Religious Activities of Aliens within the Territory of the People's
Republic of China. The following is the full text:
Article 1 These Rules are formulated in accordance with the
Provisions on the Administration of Religious Activities of Aliens
within the Territory of the People's Republic of China.
Article 2 Aliens within the territory of the People's Republic of
China are referred to those who are within Chinese territory
without Chinese nationalities pursuant to the Nationality Law of
the People's Republic of China, including the long-term resident
personnel in China and those staying in China for short-term
visits.
Article 3 Religious activities of aliens within Chinese territory
are referred to the religious ceremonies that aliens conduct or
participate according to their own religious belief customs, the
contacts with Chinese religious bodies, sites for religious
activities and religious personnel in respect of religion, and
other relevant activities.
Article 4 The People's Republic of China respects the freedom of
religious belief of aliens within Chinese territory, and protects
and administrates the religious activities of aliens within Chinese
territory in accordance with law.
The People's Republic of China protects friendly contacts and
cultural and academic exchanges of aliens within Chinese territory
with Chinese religious circles in respect of religion in accordance
with law.
Article 5 Aliens may participate in religious activities at
Buddhist monasteries, Taoist temples, mosques, churches lawfully
registered within Chinese territory according to their own
religious beliefs.
Article 6 At the invitation of Chinese religious bodies at or above
the level of province, autonomous region or municipality directly
under the Central Government, aliens visiting China as religious
personnel may preach and expound the scripture at lawfully
registered sites for religious activities.
At
the invitation of Chinese religious bodies at or above the level of
province, autonomous region or municipality directly under the
Central Government, and after the approval by the departments of
religious affairs of the people's governments at or above the
provincial level, aliens entering China as other status may preach
and expound the scripture at lawfully registered sites for
religious activities.
Foreign religious personnel who are invited to preach and expound
the scripture at the lawfully registered sites for religious
activities shall abide by the administrative rules of these sites
and respect the belief customs of the personnel of these sites.
Article 7 The collective religious activities of aliens within
Chinese territory shall be conducted at the Buddhist monasteries,
Taoist temples, mosques and churches recognized by the departments
of religious affairs of the people's government at or above the
county level, or at the temporary sites appointed by the
departments of religious affairs of the people's governments of
provinces, autonomous regions or municipalities directly under the
Central Government.
Where aliens within Chinese territory collectively conduct
religious activities at temporary sites, they will be administrated
by the departments of religious affairs of the people's governments
at or above the county level.
Article 8 The friendly contacts and cultural and academic exchanges
of aliens with Chinese religious circles shall be conducted via
Chinese religious bodies at or above the level of province,
autonomous region or municipality directly under the Central
Government.
Article 9 Foreign religious organizations that have no
corresponding legitimate Chinese religious organizations within
Chinese territory and their members must get the consent from the
departments of religious affairs of the people's governments at
provincial level and the approval from the State Administration of
Religious Affairs before conducting contacts in the name of these
organizations or as religious personnel with relevant departments
of the Chinese Government or Chinese religious circles.
Articles 10 Consented by Chinese religious bodies, aliens within
Chinese territory may invite Chinese religious personnel to conduct
such religious ceremonies as baptism, wedding, funeral, Taoist or
Buddhist rites according to their respective religious customs.
Among these ceremonies, the aliens conducting wedding must be the
men and women who have already established a marriage relationship
in accordance with law.
The Chinese religious personnel are referred to those who have been
recognized and recorded by lawfully registered religious
bodies.
Article 11 Consented by national religious bodies or relevant
religious bodies at the level of province, autonomous region or
municipality directly under the Central Government, and approved by
the departments of religious affairs of the local people's
governments at or above the provincial level, aliens entering
Chinese territory may carry religious articles used in religious
cultural and academic exchanges in accordance with relevant
programs and agreements of religious cultural and academic
exchanges.
Where the religious articles conform to the stipulations of the
previous paragraph and the relevant provisions of the Chinese
customs, they shall be passed by the customs based on the
certificates issued by the departments of religious affairs of the
people's governments of provinces, autonomous regions and
municipalities directly under the Central Government or the State
Administration for Religious Affairs.
Article 12 The following religious printed matters, religious
audio-visual products and other religious articles are prohibited
from being brought into Chinese territory^(1) the articles that
exceed rational personal use, and do not belong to the category as
stipulated in Article 11;
(2) the contents of these articles are detrimental to Chinese
national security and the public interests of Chinese society.
Where the religious printed matters, religious audio-visual
products and other religious articles are found to be those
mentioned in the previous paragraph, the case shall be dealt with
by the customs in accordance with law.
Where the religious printed matters, religious audio-visual
products and other religious articles which violate the
stipulations of the first paragraph have been brought into Chinese
territory or transported into Chinese territory by other means,
once being found, they shall be dealt with by the departments of
religious affairs or other related departments of the people's
governments at or above the county level in accordance with
law.
Article 13 The enrollment quota or capital for study abroad
provided to China by foreign organizations or individuals for the
purpose of training religious personnel shall be accepted by
Chinese national religious bodies on the basis of need, and the
personnel for study abroad shall be selected and dispatched by
Chinese national religious bodies as a whole plan.
Foreign organizations or individuals may not recruit students
within Chinese territory for their study and training abroad as
religious personnel without permission.
Article 14 Aliens who intend to come to China for studying at
Chinese religious institutions must conform to the stipulations set
by the Provisions on the Administration of Accepting Foreign
Students by Chinese Institutions of Higher Learning, get approval
from Chinese national religious bodies, and keep records at the
State Administration for Religious affairs.
Article 15 Aliens who intend to come to China for teaching at
Chinese religious institutions must be subject to the Methods of
Engaging Foreign Professionals by Religious Institutions.
Article 16 Aliens who conduct religious activities within Chinese
territory shall abide by Chinese laws and regulations.
Aliens may not interfere in the establishment and change of Chinese
religious bodies or sites for religious activities, the selecting,
appointing and changing of religious personnel by Chinese religious
bodies, nor may they interfere in or manipulate other internal
affairs of Chinese religious bodies.
Within Chinese territory, aliens may not establish religious
organizations, institute religious offices, set up sites for
religious activities, run religious institutions or hold religious
classes in any names or forms.
Article 17 Aliens may not engage in the following missionary
activities within Chinese territory
(1) appointing religious personnel among Chinese citizens;
(2) developing religious followers among Chinese citizens;
(3) preaching and expounding the scripture at the sites for
religious activities without permission;
(4) preaching and expounding the scripture or conducting religious
gathering activities at the places outside the lawfully registered
sites for religious activities;
(5) conducting religious activities with Chinese citizens at the
temporary sites for religious activities, except that the Chinese
citizens are Chinese religious personnel who are invited to preside
the religious activities;
(6) producing or selling religious books and journals, religious
audio-visual products, religious electronic goods or other
religious articles;
(7) distributing religious propaganda materials;
(8) other missionary activities.
Article 18 Where the international religious organizations, offices
and their members intend to contact or conduct other related
activities with Chinese religious bodies, sites for religious
affairs and religious personnel, they shall make applications to
the departments of religious affairs of the people's governments at
or above the provincial level in advance. The contact or other
related activities may be conducted only after approval by the
departments of religious affairs of the people's governments at or
above the provincial level.
Article 19 Where aliens within Chinese territory conduct religious
activities that violate these Rules, the departments of religious
affairs and other related departments of the people's governments
at or above the county level shall stop them in accordance with
law.
Where religious activities conducted by aliens within Chinese
territory violate these Rules as well as the Law of the Control on
the Entry and Exit of Aliens of the People's Republic of China and
the Regulations on Administrative Penalties for Public Security,
the aliens shall be dealt with by the public security organs in
accordance with law; where such activities constitute crimes, the
aliens shall be investigated for their criminal liability by the
judicial organs in accordance with law.
Article 20 These Rules are applicable to the religious activities
conducted by foreign organizations within Chinese territory.
Article 21 The State Administration for Religious Affairs shall be
responsible for the interpretation of these Rules.
Article 22 These Rules shall enter into force as of the date of
promulgation.
(Xinhua 09/26/2000)