Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) held its 77th advisory committee meeting, focused on Beijing’s suppression of religious freedom and its use of religious exchanges as a tool for political influence operations targeting Taiwan.
Scholars at the meeting reported that China’s recent religious policies have trended toward “Sinicization” and tighter administrative control. Regulations such as rules governing the online behavior of religious clergy have further restricted religious freedom. Beijing continues to use religion as an influence channel, drawing Taiwanese to the mainland through temple pilgrimages, tourism, forums, institutional visits, and cultural performances.
Advisory members stressed that despite being an officially atheist state with no genuine religious freedom, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has long exploited religious and ethnic issues for social control. Cross-strait religious exchange, members argued, is in practice an instrument of political influence operations against Taiwan. The CCP systematically uses imagery of “ancestral temples” and “shared roots across the strait” to erode Taiwan’s religious and cultural autonomy.
The committee warned that the CCP uses these exchanges to build grassroots networks within Taiwan’s temple communities, establishing personal ties that can later be leveraged for infiltration. Members urged the government to screen applications from mainland Chinese individuals seeking to participate in religious exchange, and to intervene when activities exceed religious boundaries, ensuring that cross-strait religious exchange remains healthy and orderly.
Members also cautioned that the risks to Taiwanese citizens traveling to China for religious purposes are increasing, citing the detention of Taiwanese followers of Yiguandao on the mainland as an example of the legal uncertainty posed by Chinese religious regulations.
The Ministry of the Interior, which oversees religious affairs, attended the meeting and advised religious groups to register travel plans on its dedicated information portal before visiting China, enabling the government to provide assistance if needed.
Source: Central News Agency (Taiwan), May 6, 2026
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202605060331.aspx