Written by Don Byrd
Earlier this week, Religious Freedom Ambassador-at-Large Dr. Suzan Johnson Cook discussed the role of religion in foreign policy in a conversation between top State Department officials and NGO leaders. Among other issues that came up – the State Department’s yearly religious freedom report, the role of faith communities in promoting foreign policy issues – Dr. Cook revealed that she will be traveling to China soon.
MS. BENTON: Chris, Chuck in Louisiana writes: Why does it seem that China’s shortcomings in religious freedom is being ignored by the Department of State? I’m actually going to ask Ambassador Cook if she’ll respond to that.
AMBASSADOR JOHNSON COOK: Thank you. No country is ignored, and that’s why 199 countries are reported on. No country is ignored. In fact, China was designated a country of particular concern. I plan to visit China in a few weeks, and so it’s part of the conversation. It’s – religious freedom is one part of the conversation with China. Certainly there are many that the Administration is involved in. There’s the Strategic and Economic Dialogue that happens there as well. I will be going specifically to deal with religious freedom issues. I sit with ambassadors and members of the government and designees here that are in the states, and we also will have a faith leader roundtable with Chinese officials that are here. And then when I go there again, it’s about building relationships. So no country is being ignored. In fact, the government is very, very important to target and make sure that we have conversations with all that have pragmatic openings. And so we hope the opening is there. I plan to visit.
That trip will be an interesting one to follow. Considering the tendency not to be too openly rough with important strategic countries, how much attention will the State Department or the White House give to a religious freedom discussion in China? Will they highlight it? Will it be substantive?
