The Department of Information & International Relations (DIIR) is concerned about the new Chinese regulation which is set to go into effect on 1 September 2023 that will intensify restrictions on religious freedom inside Tibet and elsewhere in China. China’s State Administration for Religious Affairs promulgated the “Measures for the Administration of Religious Activity Sites” or the “Order Number 19,” marking a significant escalation in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) government’s ongoing crackdown on religious freedom.

The United Front Work Department of the PRC government announced the regulation on 31 July 2023 on its website. This regulation requires temples, monasteries, mosques, etc. to obtain official permission to carry out any religious activity that is targeted to strengthen and build a strong sense of Chinese nationalism. This will be achieved through publicity and education campaigns including promotion of Chinese language and “ethnic unity”.

These coercive measures, as well as a number of similar “orders,” are intended to maximise the PRC government’s control over Tibetan Buddhist cultural and political affairs. In particular, Article 27 of the Order No. 19 stipulates that members of the management organisation of religious activity sites must be “loyal supporters of the leadership and rule of the Chinese Communist Party” and “be mainland residents with Chinese nationality.” Under this unlawful regulation, Tibetan monasteries in Tibet that refuse to denounce His Holiness the Dalai Lama or express reverence and loyalty to His Holiness, whom the PRC considers as “separatist”, remain particularly vulnerable to face crackdown by the Chinese authorities.

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