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Seeking to maintain its grip on society, the Chinese government since 1999 has been waging a campaign against "cults," such as the Falun Gong movement. (Falun Gong adherents use physical exercise as a spiritual discipline.) China's officials are trying now to eliminate what they consider undesirable movements, because WTO membership will bring additional international pressure on China to improve its poor record on human rights. "[China's] officials spell out that the anti-cult campaign is a preparation for the further opening of society because of China joining the World Trade Organization," Hamrin says. But, Fulton adds, "There are in fact a lot of cult groups that are doing bad things."

Says Eric Burklin, president of Colorado-based China Partner, "China wants to have a positive image with the rest of the world. The government can't really discern the cults from the non-cults because [China's top leaders] are atheistic."

The archive makes it clear that repression of religion is official state policy at the highest levels—not merely a local and sporadic phenomenon, as China usually claims. In the documents, officials say the cults are "soaking into" and weakening the foundations of state authority. Officials link rising religious influence to the increased influence of Western cultural values of democracy and equality.

In public, Chinese leaders are vague on what actually constitutes a cult. "Cults are not religions," Premier Zhu Rong Ji said in a December meeting on religion. Critics say this approach allows authorities to crack down on any groups they do not like—including many house churches. These churches typically do not register with the government-sponsored Three-Self Patriotic Movement.

While there is no consensus on the number of Christians in China, Operation World estimates the presence of 45 million people in house churches and another 40 million members and adherents in the official church. There are about 12 million Catholics in China, in both state and unofficial groups.

Hamrin, who favors improving trade relations with China, says that this latest government repression will worsen matters. "This massive campaign against millions of their people will exacerbate social tensions."

In a recent public pronouncement, China's government declared that religion has never fared better. Ye Xiaowen, the head of the Religious Affairs Bureau, toured the United States last year. Ye claimed that the government had initiated a "golden time" for religion. China's president, Jiang Zemin, recently told a U.S. congressional delegation in Beijing, "I am looking forward to seeing a church on one side of every village and a mosque on the other side."

During the second week of December, top communist leaders gathered in Beijing to discuss religion policy. Jiang led off with a speech declaring, "The influence of religion on political and social lives in today's world should never be underestimated."

In lower-profile gatherings, however, the talk tilts toward intensive surveillance of religion, according to Li's archival materials. In a speech, a local public security official in charge of religion quoted Hu Jintao, likely to be the next leader of China, on the proper approach to a "cult": "Watch and follow its direction and deal with it by law at the proper time." As the orders filter down, local leaders often act aggressively. A provincial security chief says, "Talk less and smash the cult quietly."

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March 11 2002, Vol. 46, No. 3