I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 5838 
To state the policy of the United States with respect to religious freedom 
in the People’s Republic of China, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 28, 2025 
Mr. ALFORD (for himself, Mr. STEUBE, Mr. CRENSHAW, and Mr. MCCAUL) 
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for 
a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the com-
mittee concerned 
A BILL 
To state the policy of the United States with respect to 
religious freedom in the People’s Republic of China, and 
for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Combatting the Perse-
cution of Religious Groups in China Act’’. 
SEC. 2. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 
(a) HOLDING OFFICIALS OF THE PEOPLE’S REPUB-
LIC OF CHINA RESPONSIBLE FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM 
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ABUSES.—It is the policy of the United States to consider 
that any official of the Government of the People’s Repub-
lic of China who is responsible for or has directly carried 
out abuses of religious freedom, including those involving 
arbitrary detention, forced sterilization, torture, forced 
labor, and serious restrictions on freedom of religion or 
belief, expression, and movement against religious minori-
ties, including Protestant Christians, Catholics, Bud-
dhists, Muslims, and Falun Gong practitioners, in the 
People’s Republic of China may have committed a gross 
violation of internationally recognized human rights for 
purposes of imposing sanctions with respect to such offi-
cial under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Account-
ability Act (22 U.S.C. 10101 et seq.). 
(b) DEPARTMENT OF STATE PROGRAMMING TO PRO-
MOTE RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IN THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC 
OF CHINA.—It is the policy of the United States— 
(1) that the relevant bureaus of the Depart-
ment of State, including the Bureau of East Asian 
and Pacific Affairs, should support efforts to pro-
mote international religious freedom in the People’s 
Republic of China; and 
(2) for programs of the Department of State to 
promote religious freedom in the People’s Republic 
of China and monitor transnational repression of re-
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ligious minority groups engaged in by the Govern-
ment of the People’s Republic of China. 
SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING PROMOTION OF 
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IN THE PEOPLE’S RE-
PUBLIC OF CHINA. 
It is the sense of Congress that the United States 
should promote religious freedom in the People’s Republic 
of China by— 
(1) designating the People’s Republic of China 
as a country of particular concern for religious free-
dom under section 402(b)(1)(A)(ii) of the Inter-
national Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 
6442(b)(1)(A)(ii)) as long as the Government of the 
People’s Republic of China continues to engage in 
particularly severe violations of religious freedom (as 
defined in section 3 of such Act (22 U.S.C. 6402)); 
(2) strengthening diplomacy relating to reli-
gious freedom on behalf of Christians and other reli-
gious minorities facing restrictions in the People’s 
Republic of China, including through the widespread 
engagement of international partners to combat 
abuses of religious freedom committed by the Gov-
ernment of the People’s Republic of China; 
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(3) raising the cases of religious and political 
prisoners at the highest levels with officials of the 
People’s Republic of China; 
(4) calling on the Government of the People’s 
Republic of China to unconditionally release all un-
justly detained religious and political prisoners and 
ensure that detainees who have not yet been released 
are treated humanely with— 
(A) access to family, the legal counsel of 
their choice, independent medical care, and 
international monitoring mechanisms; and 
(B) the ability to practice their faith while 
in detention; and 
(5) encouraging the global faith community to 
speak in solidarity with oppressed religious groups in 
the People’s Republic of China. 
Æ 
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