The message is fueled by books, congressional hearings and news articles. Most Christians who closely watch the situation in China say they have not detected any special crackdown on religion in recent years. There are problems, but I don't think anything is worse. The criticism is grounded in American politics. Three main groups are pushing the religion issue.
China is a prime target.
Allied with them are American Catholics, concerned about persecution of Catholics in China who remain loyal to the Vatican. In the past, the debate over human rights tended to focus on dissidents, with human rights groups doing battle with the business community over China policy. In such conflicts, the business community's point of view usually prevailed. Rep. Chris Smith, a supporter of the religious persecution bill and a vocal opponent of China's Most-Favored Nation trading status, claims support and awareness of the issue in Washington is growing because of interest shown by various Christian, Catholic and conservative Protestant groups. He contends that religious persecution in China has gotten worse, not declined, despite evidence that many churches are flourishing.