USCIRF Designates China as “Country of Particular Concern” Over Religious Freedom Violations

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has once again designated China as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) in its newly released 2025 Annual Report, citing extensive and ongoing violations of religious freedom. The report highlights a wide range of abuses, including Beijing’s attempts to control the succession of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the broader repression of Tibetan Buddhists and other religious communities.

The USCIRF, a bipartisan federal body that advises the U.S. government but does not represent it, issued some of its most pointed criticism to date. The report accuses the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) of continuing its campaign to “sinicize” religion, a policy driven by President Xi Jinping that demands absolute party control over all religious expression.

In Tibetan areas, the report documents systematic efforts to erode religious identity and cultural autonomy. These include the banning of new monk admissions in Chamdo prefecture, restrictions on religious activities during the holy month of Saga Dawa in Lhasa, and forced removal of religious symbols from Tibetan homes in present-day Sichuan Province. Authorities have also shut down monastery-based schools, replacing them with state-run boarding institutions aimed at promoting assimilation. In addition, the report notes that Tibetan Buddhists have been arrested and imprisoned simply for mentioning the Dalai Lama, either publicly or in private settings.

The USCIRF report extends beyond Tibet to detail abuses against other religious communities. These include the continued detention and harassment of Uyghur Muslims, the targeting of underground Catholic clergy, the imprisonment of Protestant pastor Kan Xiaoyong, the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners, and crackdowns on members of the Church of Almighty God (CAG).

The report also highlights China’s increasing use of high-tech surveillance in places of worship and its campaign of transnational repression. Chinese authorities are accused of targeting diaspora communities abroad with threats, blackmail, and coercion aimed at silencing critics and dissidents.

USCIRF has urged the U.S. government to re-designate China as a CPC under the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) and to work with international allies to impose targeted sanctions against Chinese officials responsible for severe violations of religious freedom. Special emphasis was placed on sanctioning individuals involved in the Chinese government’s interference in the Dalai Lama’s succession process.

The Commission’s mandate stems from the IRFA and is supported by international human rights frameworks including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. While USCIRF operates independently from the U.S. State Department, its annual reports and policy recommendations are intended to inform the U.S. president, secretary of state, and Congress.

This latest report underscores the deepening concerns among U.S. officials and international watchdogs regarding China’s growing authoritarianism and its direct impact on religious communities both within and beyond its borders.