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New Developments in China’s Policy Toward Christianity

After the plenary session of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party last November, a decision was made to convene a working group to develop a new set of regulations for managing religious activities. Questions and commentary about the new approaches to Christianity will be offered by several American scholars and representatives of religious organizations engaged in China.

When:
July 11, 2016 6:00pm to July 13, 2016 12:00pm
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After the plenary session of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party last November, a decision was made to convene a working group to develop a new set of regulations for managing religious activities. The meeting was held in April 2016, and it was attended by several members of the Politburo Standing Committee, with a closing speech given by Xi Jinping. New regulations on religious affairs are forthcoming.

UC San Diego is pleased to host some of the key scholars who offered input at the meeting. In this daylong policy briefing, they will explain the ideas that came out of this meeting and discuss implications for Christian communities in China.  Questions and commentary about the new approaches to Christianity will be offered by several American scholars and representatives of religious organizations engaged in China.

Presentations will center around the following themes:

    Christian churches and government;
    Christianity and Chinese cultural traditions;
    Christianity and the public good; and
    Chinese Christian churches and global Christianity.

The dialogue is organized by the Fudan-UC Center on Contemporary China, UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy (GPS); Center on Globalization and Religious Studies, Fudan University; 21st Century China Program, GPS; with co-sponsorship from the Asia Research Center.


July 11, 2016

6 - 8 p.m. Opening Reception at Estancia La Jolla


July 12, 2016

9 - 9:15 a.m. Opening Remarks

9:15 - 10:30 a.m. Presentations: Policy and Social Change

  • "New Directions in China’s Religion Policy"
    LIU Jinguang, China State Administration Bureau of Religious Affairs
  • "Christianity in the context of Chinese cultural tradition: dilemma or opportunity"
    ZHUO Xinping, Institute of World Religion, CASS
  • "Catholic Charitable Services in China: Current Situation and Challenges"
    John B. ZHANG, Faith Institute for Cultural Studies

10:45 - 11 a.m. Coffee Break

11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Presentations: Culture and Localization

  • "The Mismatched Stakeholders of Religious Dialogue in China: Religious Group, Culture and Believers"
    FAN Lizhu, Fudan University
  • "Justification by the Confucian Value of 孝Xiao: A Case of Interaction between Christianity and Chinese Cultural Tradition"
    CHEN Na, Fudan University
  • "The ‘Plural Tension’ in China’s Religions: A Case Study of a Catholic Church in Rural North China"
    Frank LIU, Shanghai Politics and Law University

12:30 - 2 p.m. Lunch

2 - 3:30 p.m. Presentations: Views and Responses

  • "Indigenizing Chinese Christianity under President Xi Jinping: A Few Questions"
    Carsten VALA, Loyola University at Maryland
  • "Understanding Chinese Catholic religious relationships, values and experience in conjunction with overall Chinese principles"
    Rob CARBONNEAU, U.S. Catholic China Bureau
  • "China's Evolving Relationship with Religion"
    Gordon MELTON, Baylor University
  • "The Value of Engaging Religious Communities:  Pursuing Social Goods"
    Amy LILLIS, U.S. Department of State

3:30 - 4 p.m. Coffee Break

4 - 5:30 p.m. Panel Discussion: “Christianity in China: Globalization and Localization”

  • Moderator: Richard MADSEN, Fudan-UC Center on Contemporary China
  • Panelists: ZHUO Xinping, John ZHANG, Rob CARBONNEAU and Amy LILLIS
  • Audience Q&A

5:30 - 6 p.m. Concluding Remarks

6 - 8 p.m. Dinner at James’ Place


July 13, 2016

9 a.m. - 12 p.m. Meeting space available in the Dean’s Conference Room, School of Global Policy & Strategy (GPS)