Radio Free Asia reported that, according to the pastor of the Chinese Underground Christian Church, on October 25, the Chinese Ministry of National Security personnel intercepted more than 100 underground church believers who were about to board a plane so they could attend the Christian training meeting that the Texas Baptist Church organized on Jeju Island in South Korea. They were stopped from boarding on the grounds that they might harm National Security. A twitter photo showed that a member of the National Security Department held a note telling the Christians sitting at the airport that they got an order from the Ministry of National Security to stop these people from going abroad. The Christians were also told that they would be questioned once they got back home. One pastor in China told Radio Free Asia that the Chinese authorities have further escalated the suppression of the underground churches and what little freedom they enjoyed in the past has quickly disappeared. Article 6 of the Chinese Constitution stipulates that Chinese citizens have freedom of belief. He hopes that the international community can pay attention to this issue. Another pastor in the U.S. told Radio Free Asia that this incident shows that the Chinese government has further intensified its persecution of Christianity. The “Regulations on Religious Affairs” that China promulgated last year includes a guideline to intensify the control of believers who attend meetings or any training abroad. Previously, even though Chinese underground church believers were not allowed to attend training in China, they could still go abroad to participate in exchanges or gatherings with believers from other countries. However, since Beijing began to promote “a Chinese-Style religion,” {that is, to Sinicize all religion} they have intensified further control and suppression of religious figures including underground Christian church believers.
According to Radio Free Asia , the revised Regulations on Religious Affairs, which was promulgated in September 2017 and implemented in February 2018, provides strict control over the financial, publishing, and online promotion of religious affairs and the training of believers abroad.
Source: Radio Free Asia, October 29, 2018
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/shehui/nu-10292018105136.html;