Legal Regulation of the Religious System in China

The Constitution of the People’s Republic of China provides for freedom of religion, and the authorities generally respect this right in practice. The State authorities at all levels fully protect this right and do not tolerate its abuse, either by officials or private individuals. There is no state religion. The Chinese Communist Party is officially atheistic, but recognizes five religions: Buddhism, Catholicism, Taoism, Islam and Protestantism. The States strictly monitor registered and unregistered groups. In the People’s Republic of China (PRC), freedom of religion is enshrined in the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China, but with a caveat: the government controls what it calls “normal religious activity”, defined in practice as activities that take place in government-controlled religious organizations and registered places of worship.