Mistrust and misunderstanding about religion between the West and China

What is it about?

The articles analyses how the U.S. and China talk over each other as they take different views on religion. Findings show that the Americans have been funding both Uighurs and Tibetans in activities that the Chinese government consider "separatist" and that the Chinese have allowed circumscribed freedom to religious communities that abide by Chinese laws and are not disturbing the larger society.

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Why is it important?

Peaceful coexistence between the west and the PRC may be better facilitated with deeper understanding. The PRC is often portrayed as totalitarian, authoritarian, and draconian in the treatment of Uighur Muslims and Tibetan Buddhists. While this is true, the reasons for the harsh treatment is not, as is usually portrayed by the western press, racial prejudice, state harassment of ethnic minorities, and religious persecution but the stemming of what the Chinese state perceives to be terrorism and separatist forces. Tensions between the United States and the PRC might be substantially reduced if there were less mistrust of the "agenda" of the PRC.