1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Combatting the Persecution of Religious Groups in China Act . 2. Findings Congress makes the following findings: (1) According to estimates included in International Religious Freedom reports issued by the Department of State, Buddhists comprise 18.2 percent of the total population in the People's Republic of China, Christians, 5.1 percent, Muslims, 1.8 percent, followers of folk religions, 21 percent, and atheists or unaffiliated persons, 52.12 percent, with Hindus, Jews, and Taoists comprising less than 1 percent. (2) The Government of the People’s Republic of China recognizes 5 official religions, Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Protestantism, and Catholicism (according to an International Religious Freedom report issued by the Department of State), and only religious groups belonging to 1 of the 5 sanctioned patriotic religious associations representing those religions are permitted to register with the Government and hold worship service, excluding all other faiths and denying the ability to worship without being registered with the Government. (3) The activities of state-sanctioned religious organizations in the People's Republic of China are regulated by the Chinese Communist Party, which manages all aspects of religious life in the country. (4) The Chinese Communist Party is actively seeking to control, govern, and manipulate all aspects of faith through the Sinicization of Religion , a process intended to shape religious traditions so they conform with the objectives of the Chinese Communist Party. (5) On February 1, 2018, the Government of the People’s Republic of China implemented new religious regulations that imposed restrictions on Chinese contacts with overseas religious organizations, required Government approval for religious schools, websites, and any online religious service, and effectively banned unauthorized religious gatherings and teachings. (6) There are numerous reports that authorities in the People's Republic of China have forced closures of