An influential Protestant church in China says prominent leaders have been arrested in what appears to be a growing crackdown on the underground church movement.
Nine people were detained on Tuesday after police raided their homes and the church office in Chengdu, in central China, the Early Rain Covenant Church said. Five had been released by Wednesday.
More than 1,000 miles away in Wenzhou, authorities began demolishing the Yayang Church building, video obtained by non-profit ChinaAid, which monitors religious persecution, shows.
Urgent: China's “Jerusalem” Besieged; Hundreds of Armed Police and Bulldozers Poised to Demolish Defiant Church
In a violent escalation of religious persecution, hundreds of armed Chinese police have encircled Yayang Christian Church in Wenzhou, deploying cranes and bulldozers… pic.twitter.com/UKPjBXZ8fo
— ChinaAid (@chinaaid) January 5, 2026
Carney and Xi are buds.
