WASHINGTON—China’s communist regime continued to engage in “particularly severe violations of religious freedom” in 2025, targeting people in China and abroad, a U.S. religious freedom watchdog said in its annual report released on March 4.
“The Chinese Communist Party deepened its crackdown on all religious activities that dared to operate outside of its tight-fisted control,” Asif Mahmood, vice chair of the independent federal commission, said at the rollout event for the report.
Maureen Ferguson, a USCIRF commissioner, said the suppression in China is “across the board” and “systematic.”
“The situation in China is particularly egregious because they are persecuting every faith community, from the Uyghur Muslims to Falun Gong to the Tibetan movement to the underground Catholic Church to the Christian house churches,” Ferguson told The Epoch Times.
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is engaging in transnational repression outside of China, the report states, using “high-tech and emerging technologies to silence religious and ethnic minorities.”
The USCIRF report urges the Department of Justice to “prioritize investigating and prosecuting” the Chinese regime’s transnational repression against religious minorities and activists.
It also calls for Congress to pass legislation to “assist those fleeing religious persecution in China.”
Asif Mahmood, U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) commissioner, speaks during a rally calling for the end of the Chinese Communist Party’s 25 years of ongoing persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China at the National Mall in Washington on July 11, 2024. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times
A Call for Greater Attention
Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.), who serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said, “There is nothing more important to American values than freedom of religion.”
The USCIRF report was released just weeks before President Donald Trump’s trip to China from March 31 to April 2, during which he is scheduled to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
Speaking to The Epoch Times, Sherman said that U.S. engagement abroad should reflect American values.
“I would want a president who recognizes that the values of the country need to be expressed in our foreign policy,” Sherman said.
“There are so many religious groups in China, from the Catholic Church to Falun Gong to so many others, that are being oppressed by that government.
“I hope very much that Trump brings that to the world’s attention.”
Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.) speaks during a hearing with top bank regulators in Washington on Nov. 15, 2023. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times
The report states that several elderly people died during their imprisonment in 2025 and that an 87-year-old began serving a 3 1/2-year sentence in August last year.
Minghui.org, a U.S.-based website that tracks the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China, identified the 87-year-old as Zhao Yungu, a retired factory worker from Harbin in northern China. Zhao’s wife, Liu Shumei, also a Falun Gong practitioner, died at age 77 in May 2019 as a result of persecution, according to the website.
They are not the only elders who have been targeted for their faith. According to Minghui, Meng Qingjie, 72, was sentenced to eight years in prison in 2025 for practicing Falun Gong. Before her latest sentencing, she had been in jail for nine years.
Additionally, Minghui reported on the torture of 90-year-old Liu Xueshen, also a Falun Gong practitioner, who was forced to sit on a small stool for extended periods and faced restricted access to food and restroom facilities.
The CCP’s persecution of Falun Gong is “well-documented,” Sherman said.
“It’s a sentence to die in prison,” Ferguson told The Epoch Times. “It just shows how the CCP is just determined to exert complete control over religion and severely repress anyone who tries to speak out.”
Maureen Ferguson speaks at an event held by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom in Washington on March 4, 2026. Screenshot via The Epoch Times
The ongoing persecution has resulted in millions of practitioners being detained or tortured, with thousands dying of abuse while in custody, according to the Falun Dafa Information Center.
Ferguson said the International Religious Freedom Act requires the United States to prioritize religious freedom in its foreign policy—a principle she said she hopes will shape discussions during Trump’s trip.
“We hope the president and his team, in side meetings, will raise the cases of these prisoners of conscience,” she said.
Transnational Repression
The Chinese regime’s campaign against Falun Gong has extended beyond its borders.
Shen Yun, headquartered in New York state, was founded by practitioners of Falun Gong. Its performances showcase classical Chinese dance and music under the slogan “China Before Communism” and highlight the ongoing human rights abuses in China.
Stephen Schneck of the USCIRF told The Epoch Times that the commission is “watching closely” Beijing’s transnational repression against Falun Gong and Shen Yun.
“[The regime is] tracking Falun Gong practitioners in countries around the world, and it’s very concerning,” Schneck said, noting that the threats of violence are “tremendously serious” and “illegal.”
“The entire world is watching China on issues like this.
“Ahead of President Trump’s visit to China, we’re going to very strongly encourage our government to stand up and to speak out for religious freedom around the world, and, among other things, to address this problem of transnational repression.”
Stephen Schneck, former chairman of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, testifies before the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s Africa Subcommittee on Capitol Hill in Washington on Feb. 4, 2026. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times
Authorities in Switzerland, Turkey, and Australia have uncovered alleged Chinese spying targeting Uyghur, Tibetan, and Buddhist communities, according to the USCIRF report.
The USCIRF report calls on the United States to coordinate with international partners to impose sanctions on Chinese agencies, entities, and officials responsible for religious freedom violations.
“We already have many sanctions in place,” Schneck said. “In regards to China, I would encourage the extension of those sanctions in regards to religious freedom as broadly as the United States government can do.”
Sherry Dong contributed to this report.
