BEIJING, China (AFP) — China unveiled new rules Tuesday restricting religious activity on social media, requiring permits to preach on WeChat and banning the use of artificial intelligence to proselytise.

The “Online Conduct Rules for Religious Personnel” were detailed by the National Religious Affairs Administration, a government body regulating religious practices in China.

Religious figures are banned from preaching “via livestreams, short videos, online meetings, WeChat groups or WeChat Moments,” the text states, referring to features of China’s most-used social media platform.

It also prohibits offering virtual training in “‘meditation,’ ‘spiritual retreats,’ or ‘therapy’ containing religious content,” the notice adds.

Only members of state-licensed religious organisations can be exempt from these prohibitions.

The rules also ban using “generative artificial intelligence” for proselytising purposes.

The new rules build on laws enacted since the 2000s that have progressively tightened state control over religions, particularly in digital spaces.

In 2022, China banned all online religious services without official licenses.

Beijing faces regular international criticism for restricting religious freedom, including in Tibet where spiritual practices and Buddhist leader appointments are strictly controlled.

In Xinjiang, policies targeting Muslim minorities are widely described as serious human rights violations, with allegations of arbitrary detention, widespread torture and destruction of religious and cultural heritage.