Beijing: Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday, told faiths in the country to “further adapt” to a socialist society. This was part of his continuous strategy of sinicization of religions, according to state-run Xinhua News Agency.
Xi stressed the following when leading a group study session of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee:
“Religions in China need to change even more to fit in with Chinese culture.” Religions should have help so they can fit in with the needs of a socialist society.
A brief history of Sinicization
Xi, who is now 72 years old, has been in office since 2012 and has been more and more linking religious rituals to Marxist ideas and Chinese government policy. The goal of sinicizing religion is to make religious practices fit in with Chinese cultural, social, and historical standards.
Mao Ning, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, defended the policy in July, saying:
“I don’t think that sinicizing religion means limiting religious practice. Instead, I think that all religions need to adapt to the country’s social, cultural, and historical context.” Tibetan Buddhism in China is a great example of a religion that has taken on Chinese traits, which is what sinicization is all about.
China says that it guarantees religious freedom, but in reality, all religious activity must follow rules set by the Communist Party. It’s still not apparent what specific rules faiths should follow to change.
What Xi Said in Context
Xi’s comments come after he recently went to Tibet and Xinjiang, two areas where religion is very important even though the CPC has been in charge for decades.
Buddhism is still quite strong in Tibet, even though the Dalai Lama had to leave for Dharamshala, India.
The Uygur Muslim community is still the largest group in Xinjiang. The province has gotten a lot of attention from around the world because of claims that many Uygurs have been detained, and China has banned the militant East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), which Beijing says is trying to break away from China.
Xi’s call for more adaption shows that the government will keep an eye on and oversee religious institutions in China.