International Religious Freedom Asia Summit held in Tokyo, China in the spotlight

The International Religious Freedom Asia Summit held in Tokyo, Japan recently invited 200 politicians, scholars and clergy from various countries to discuss the religious freedom situation in Asia, and China became one of the focuses of the discussion. In his video speech, Taiwan President Lai Ching-te expressed his concern about the suppression of believers of different religions in China. Former US Secretary of State Pompeo described China under the rule of the Chinese Communist Party as an unprecedented "surveillance state" in human history, and admitted that the fall of Hong Kong was the biggest failure of his tenure.

The 2024 International Religious Freedom Summit Asia was recently held in Tokyo, Japan, focusing on the situation of religious freedom in Asia. Taiwan President Lai Ching-te delivered a speech via a pre-recorded video.

Lai Ching-te: The CCP continues to suppress believers of different religions

Lai Ching-te mentioned that currently, democracy is regressing and authoritarian regimes are rampant around the world, and countless people are facing persecution for their religious beliefs. He said that during the martial law period in Taiwan, Taiwanese missionaries were also banned, and leaders of the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan were also targeted by the authoritarian regime. However, with the unremitting efforts of the Taiwanese people, the sacrifices of democracy activists, and the support of democratic countries, Taiwan has become a vibrant democratic country and a "beacon of religious freedom in Asia."

Lai Ching-te said that religious freedom continues to be eroded in China under the rule of the Chinese Communist Party.

“Chinese authorities continue to intensify their crackdown on minority groups, including Christians, Tibetan Buddhists, and Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang. Sacred places of worship have been destroyed, and large numbers of devout believers have been imprisoned in re-education camps or even subjected to harsher treatment,” Lai said.

He said Taiwan is determined to continue promoting religious freedom around the world, including hosting the 2023 International Religious Freedom Asia Summit last year, allowing Taiwan to cooperate with countries with like beliefs and speak out for religious freedom on the international stage.

Lai Ching-te also promised that Taiwan will become a staunch ally, supporting religious freedom, upholding common values, and working to maintain the free and democratic lifestyle of the Taiwanese people.

The summit was led by former U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback and former chair of the U.S. Commission on Religious Freedom Katrina Lantos Swett. It brought together about 200 politicians, diplomats, scholars, theologians, missionaries and clergy from around the world, including Christians, Muslims, Hindus and other religious believers.

Pompeo: Failure to protect Hong Kong is the biggest failure of his tenure

Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was also a guest at the summit. He was asked by Benedict Rogers, founder of the British human rights organization Hong Kong Monitor, how to hold Xi Jinping and the CCP accountable for the genocide of the Uighurs, the persecution of Tibetans, Falun Gong practitioners, Christians, and the deprivation of freedom in Hong Kong, and how to get Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai out of prison.

Pompeo pointed out that China under the rule of the Communist Party of China is a "surveillance state" that is "unprecedented in human history" and would make the Nazis and the Stasi blush. He also admitted that failing to protect the freedom of Hong Kong was the biggest failure of his tenure.

Pompeo said: "We could have done better, the United States, the United Kingdom, all Western countries, we could have delayed, but we didn't. I take full responsibility for this, but there are many people involved behind it. We did not take timely measures to protect Jimmy Lai and others. I think we are actually capable of doing it, not impossible."

Pompeo calls on countries to form an alliance to deal with the CCP

He also accused the CCP of allowing the novel coronavirus to "leak from the laboratory" and spread around the world, and criticized the CCP for often using its economic size to gain advantages and hegemony in different fields. He warned countries around the world that when formulating trade and investment agreements with China, they should adhere to the principle of "reciprocity" and treat China like other countries, rather than providing special treatment to China. He called on countries around the world that "obey the rules and recognize human rights" to form an alliance and strengthen their hard power to deal with the CCP.

At the meeting, Pompeo also criticized Pope Francis for making too many compromises with China, which would cause the church to lose its moral authority.

China and the Vatican signed a provisional agreement on the appointment of bishops in 2018, which has brought the Vatican-China relationship closer in recent years. Vatican Secretary of State Parolin has even stated that he hopes to establish a permanent office in China. The outside world has always been worried that the Vatican may make more compromises at the request of China, and may even break off diplomatic relations with Taiwan and establish diplomatic relations with China, causing Taiwan to lose its only diplomatic ally in Europe.