Male, March 3 (NationPress) The treatment of religious and spiritual groups in China has again attracted the attention of the US Congress after a former high-ranking American official criticized the policies of the Chinese Communist Party, labeling them a “war on belief systems”, according to a report released on Tuesday.

In a recent address to US lawmakers, Sam Brownback, who previously served as the US Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, accused the Chinese Communist Party of conducting a global campaign of persecution against religious individuals, as highlighted by a report from the Maldivian media outlet Etruth MV.

During a hearing held on Capitol Hill in Washington, his statements described Beijing's actions not merely as isolated incidents of human rights violations, but rather as “a coordinated effort to suppress belief systems viewed as threats to state control.”

According to Brownback, “This campaign targets a wide array of faiths, including Christians, Buddhists, Uyghur Muslims, Tibetan Buddhists, and practitioners of Falun Gong.”

The report indicated that Brownback claimed the Chinese government invests substantial financial and institutional resources to suppress religion.

He informed lawmakers that billions of dollars are spent annually by the Chinese government to control or dismantle independent belief systems, asserting that the “most severe repression is directed towards Falun Gong practitioners.”

Brownback portrayed believers in China as individuals operating ‘behind enemy lines’, arguing that their convictions empower them to confront state control and overcome fear. His testimony highlighted that the Chinese state perceives faith-based resistance as a destabilizing force, rather than political ideology.

The report emphasized that a primary focus of Brownback’s testimony was the deployment of advanced surveillance technology to enforce religious repression.

He stated that China's extensive monitoring systems allow authorities to identify and neutralize individuals seen as capable of mobilizing others through their faith.

The hearing on Capitol Hill, according to the report, “placed China’s domestic religious policies within a broader international context.”

Brownback characterized the repression as a global issue, claiming that pressure extends beyond China’s borders through the coercion of diaspora communities and diplomatic influence.

“As lawmakers deliberate on further actions, the allegations presented during the hearing contribute to a growing body of evidence that frames religious persecution as a central element of China’s political framework. While the description of a ‘war on belief systems’ may be rhetorical, the discussed policies and practices—surveillance, detention, alleged forced organ harvesting, and transnational pressure—illustrate a sustained effort to control belief,”

the report noted.

“For US lawmakers, this issue now resides at the crossroads of human rights, foreign policy, and legislative oversight, with ramifications extending far beyond the borders of China,”

it concluded.