China has been increasingly using religion as a diplomatic tool to further its foreign policy goals, especially in relation to its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), writes Juyan Zhang (University of Texas at San Antonio) in The Review of Faith and International Affairs (21:2). Sometimes called the New Silk Road, the BRI was launched in 2013 and is part of China’s efforts to take a new role in global affairs. It is meant to improve connectivity and cooperation on a transcontinental scale and to develop new trade routes connecting China with the rest of the world. Since the early 2000s, China started to see religion as a diplomatic resource and launched a variety of initiatives. The goals of its religious diplomacy include improving the country’s international image, defending its religious policies, addressing domestic ethnic issues (since religion is perceived to be associated with ethnic issues in China), and resolving disputes. China coordinates its religious diplomacy through government agencies and different arms of the Communist Party, as well as semi-official organizations. The latter are the China Committee on Religion and Peace (CCRP) and the China Religious Culture Communication Association (CRCCA). In different ways and at different levels, China engages in “religious diplomacy” with Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, and Taoism.
Source: PAGEO (Pallas Athene Geopolitical Research Institute, Hungary).
In 2015, at the annual meeting of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, it was recommended that religion be used as a bridge and vehicle of the BRI. Buddhism has been the religion most actively used in supporting the BRI, while Christianity has been the least active. Islam and Taoism are in between. Indeed, half of the 65 countries involved have Muslim majorities. Factors that impact China’s religious diplomacy include the sustainability of the BRI, competition with the U.S., China’s emphasis on “Sinicizing” religions, and its policies on internet regulation and ideological security, which affect the country’s religious exchanges with other nations. China’s utilitarian approach to religion may undermine the effectiveness of its religious diplomacy, however. While it is leveraging religion as part of a broader strategy to advance the BRI and further its foreign policy goals, challenges remain due to skepticism of its motives and policies regarding religion.
(The Review of Faith and International Affairs, https://www.tandfonline.com/journals/rfia20; official Chinese Belt and Road Initiative Portal: https://eng.yidaiyilu.gov.cn)
