Religious sphere and relations with the Vatican in the politics of Chinese leadership

Over the past decades, there has been an increase in religiosity in Chinese society. However, against the background of an increase in the number of believers, including Christians, one can observe a gradual tightening of the PRC authorities' policy in the religious sphere. The article analyzes the large-scale measures implemented by the Chinese authorities aimed at strengthening control over the spiritual sphere and limiting the influence of foreign churches on the population. Nevertheless, the authors state that, despite the difficult situation in the religious sphere in China, western analysts have recently noted signs of a warming trend in the relations between Beijing and the Vatican.