Chinese authorities are tightening controls over religious activities by encouraging citizens to report what the government defines as “illegal” religious practices, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW).

In the first half of 2026, more than a dozen cities across China introduced measures encouraging or rewarding people for reporting religious activities deemed “illegal” by authorities, HRW said.

The measures come amid broader government efforts to tighten surveillance of religious activities and follow changes to China’s Public Security Administration Punishment Law that took effect on 1 January. For the first time, the law made “illegal religious activities” grounds for five to 15 days of administrative detention, according to HRW.

In February, authorities in Honghe prefecture in Yunnan province listed 35 categories of reportable “illegal religious activity”. These include holding collective religious activities or ceremonies in private homes or other unapproved venues, clergy preaching through livestreams or WeChat groups, distributing religious materials in public places and organising religious education or training without official approval.

Authorities in Haidong, Qinghai province, also extended reporting obligations to businesses, requiring hotels and travel agencies to screen events they host and report any “suspicious situation”, HRW said.

Almost all of the new regulations offer rewards to informants. In Chengdu, Sichuan province, authorities are offering up to 800 yuan ($120) for verified information about vaguely defined “illegal” religious conduct.

HRW said the measures appear to build on similar initiatives introduced in Xinjiang since 2013 and Guangdong since 2019.

The organisation said the measures could increase pressure on Christians, Muslims and Tibetan Buddhists, who, according to HRW, have faced government pressure to conform more closely to Han Chinese culture and Chinese Communist Party ideology.

The developments have also affected people defending the rights of religious groups, HRW said.

Chinese lawyer Ruth Wang fled to Taiwan on 2 September after authorities threatened to shut down her law firm, according to HRW. Wang had represented members of Zion Church, an underground Protestant congregation.

While founding pastor Ezra Jin was released from custody in July following what HRW described as high-level US intervention, eight other church members have remained detained since their arrests in October 2025.

Chinese President Xi Jinping launched the government’s “Sinicization of religion” policy in 2016, which included regulations increasing state control over religious affairs, HRW said.

The Chinese government maintains that people in China are free to practise their religion. HRW, however, said religious practice remains subject to increasingly restrictive government controls.

The organisation said the government’s claims of religious freedom would remain questionable as long as people are detained for exercising their religious rights.

Source: Human Rights Watch (hrw.org)