About The People’s Republic of China:
Also known as Communist China……and not to be confused with Democratic Republic of China (Taiwan)…..this is one of the economic power house countries of our world today and, also, one of the most repressive. The government exerts almost total control over its citizens, who are monitored and given a social credit score based on their loyalty to the regime. Those with a bad social credit score receive penalties in the form of things like loan denials, restricted travel, or public shaming (public shaming in China is a deeply rooted practice that has evolved into a modern tool for social control and behavior modification, blending traditional cultural values with technology).
As of mid-2026, the population of the People’s Republic of China is estimated to be approximately 1.41 billion people, making it the world’s second-most populous country after India (1.47 billion). The population of the U.S. pales in comparison, with roughly 333 million in 2022, although in terms of land area the two countries are almost the same.
Most of the rural population has moved to the cities due to better job opportunities, making their cities some of the largest (population-wise) and most densely-populated in the world.
As of May 2026, eight U.S. presidents have made official visits to the People’s Republic of China, beginning with Richard Nixon’s groundbreaking 1972 trip to normalize relations. Subsequent visits were made by Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama.
Richard Nixon’s 1972 trip to China is widely considered the most historic and hailed, often dubbed the “Week That Changed The World“. This visit broke 25 years of isolation between the U.S. and the People’s Republic of China, opening diplomatic relations and changing Cold War dynamics.
The visit of President Donald Trump to China May 13-25, 2026 may possibly prove historic as well.…time will tell. At the conclusion of a 10-minute toast ahead of a state banquet in the Chinese capital’s Great Hall of the People, President Trump toasted the Chinese leader and said “It is my honor to extend an invitation to you and Madame Peng [Liyuan] to visit us at the White House this September 24, and we look forward to it.” “It’s a very special relationship, and I want to thank you again,” added the US president.
The People’s Republic of China does face some serious demographic challenges. Due to its earlier one-child policy, the country has an aging work force. Although the government began relaxing their one-child policy in 2013 (under the new policy, families could have two children if one parent, rather than both parents, was an only child), it may be a matter of “too little, too late”. In fact, China’s population has been declining for the past several years due to low birth rates and more deaths than births.
The median age has risen from 18 in 1970 to 28.9 in 2000 and was estimated to be 40.6 years in 2026 (close to the 38.7 median age in the U.S. in the same year). By 2050 it will reach 50.7, almost triple that of 1970. Since females were more likely to be killed in abortions than males, there is an imbalance between males and females in the country.
Marriage registrations fell to 6.1 million in 2024, the lowest in decades, directly fueling a decline in births to 7.92 million in 2025.
What makes this statistic so important is the fact that, overall, older populations tend to be less productive and have more health issues than younger populations. These challenges are often compounded by issues like potential labor shortages, slower technological adoption, and increased needs for age-friendly housing and infrastructure.
We wonder if “forced births” might be on the horizon.
About the Roman Catholic Church in the People’s Republic of China:
The role of the Catholic Church here is a complex one. Briefly, after the 1949 takeover by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Catholic and Protestant missionaries were expelled from the country. In 1957, the communist government established the Catholic Patriotic Association in Beijing, which rejects the authority of the Holy See and appoints its own bishops; therefore, they are not Roman Catholic.
There are underground Roman Catholic Churches in Communist China. We recommend you do not try to find or attend an underground church in China, as that can bring harm to those who have to live and survive in the country after you have left. This would also violate the terms of your tourist visa and result in your being expelled from the country. So just don’t do it.
Here is an interesting article concerning the Catholic churches in China.
You may attend one of the Communist-controlled churches to satisfy your Sunday obligation.
Although this may seem like a contradiction, The Code of Canon Law states:
“Whenever necessity requires it or true spiritual advantage suggests it, and provided that danger of error or of indifferentism is avoided, the [Catholic] Christian faithful for whom it is physically or morally impossible to approach a Catholic minister are permitted to receive the sacraments of penance, Eucharist, and anointing of the sick from non-Catholic ministers in whose Churches these sacraments are valid.” (CIC 844 §2).
Catholic places of interest in the People’s Republic of China:
Hong Kong: Hong Kong was a British Colony from 1841 until 1997. On July 1, 1997, at the stroke of midnight, Hong Kong reverted from British rule to become an administrative district of the People’s Republic of China. There are several opportunities to attend a Catholic Mass in Hong Kong.
Lanzhou: Catholic Churches
Shanghai: Catholic places of interest in China’s biggest city and financial hub.
Shenzhen: Catholic Churches in China’s “Silicon Valley”
Here is a Youtube video about the Catholic Church in China today.
Traveling to the People’s Republic of China:
Most countries have direct flights to Shanghai and other cities in China. For U.S. residents, several airlines offer non-stop flights to Shanghai. Some tour companies offer group travel to the People’s Republic of China, but we are not aware of any Catholic tour companies that are offering trips to The People’s Republic of China.
If do travel to the People’s Republic of China, assume that you will be monitored throughout your visit, and act accordingly.
A final word about Communist China:
Throughout the long arc of history, every empire built upon repression of individual rights eventually fell. We saw it most recently in the fall of the Soviet Union (although “freedom” is a relative term, it appears less repressive than when it was under Communist rule). Such will probably be the case here….be it years, decades or centuries, but there is a God-given quest for freedom in mankind that cannot be quenched. Totalitarian regimes are always between a rock and a hard place…..clamp down too much on freedom and risk open revolt…..open up to a greater degree of freedom and risk destroying the regime. And now, with the prevalence of the internet and social media, people are more connected with the world than ever before.
The visit of U.S.President Donald Trump to China in May 2026 may…or may not….usher in a new era of cooperation between the countries. It is, at the very least, a sign of hope for the future.