This bill establishes U.S. policy to hold Chinese government officials accountable for religious freedom abuses, including arbitrary detention, forced sterilization, torture, and forced labor against religious minorities such as Christians, Catholics, Buddhists, Muslims, and Falun Gong practitioners. The legislation authorizes the use of sanctions under existing human rights laws against officials responsible for these violations and directs the State Department to create programs promoting religious freedom in China and monitoring transnational repression of religious groups. The bill also expresses Congress's view that the United States should designate China as a country of particular concern for religious freedom, strengthen diplomatic efforts on behalf of persecuted religious minorities, raise cases of detained prisoners with Chinese officials, and call for the unconditional release of unjustly imprisoned religious and political prisoners with access to family, legal counsel, and medical care. No specific funding amount or timeline is provided in the legislation; the bill primarily establishes policy direction and congressional intent regarding U.S. engagement on Chinese religious freedom issues.
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