Document
On 20 to 25 November 2025, the executive committee of the World Council of Churches (WCC) met in Hangzhou, China, at the invitation of and hosted by the China Christian Council (CCC) and the National Committee of the Three-Self Patriotic Movement of the Protestant Church in China (TSPM). It was only the second time that a WCC governing body has met in the People’s Republic of China, nine years after the first such occasion, when the executive committee met in Shanghai and Nanjing in November 2016.
We are deeply grateful for the invitation and generous hospitality extended to us by the CCC and TSPM. We have greatly valued this opportunity for a renewed encounter with the churches and people of China – in the framework of the Ecumenical Pilgrimage of Justice, Reconciliation and Unity. Through this encounter, a new generation of WCC leadership has been able to build upon the longstanding relationship with and engagement of the Protestant Church in China in the global WCC fellowship.
We came to China at the invitation of and for encounter with the WCC’s member church in this context. The vibrant church life and diverse ministries of the CCC and TSPM, and the diaconal service of the Amity Foundation in China and internationally, has left a deep and abiding impression on all of us. We have treasured the occasions of prayer, worship, Christian fellowship and tea-conversations in several congregations of the CCC and TSPM. Likewise, we have been privileged to encounter several interfaith counterparts of the CCC and TSPM, and have gained a deeper understanding of the breadth and depth of inter-religious relationships in this country.
At the same time, we recognize that as much as we have seen and heard, the full scope of China’s religious landscape and current reality is still wider and more diverse than is often understood outside China. We have welcomed hearing the clear official commitment of the Chinese government to religious freedom in China, and look forward to occasions for learning more about the current status and further fulfilment of this commitment.
The post-denominational history and nature of the CCC and TSPM presents an invigoratingly radical expression of the ecumenical calling, in the context of the worldwide ecumenical movement’s continuing journey towards visible Christian unity in reconciled diversity. Likewise, we are impressed and moved by the further contextualization of Christianity in China, in architecture, liturgy, music, preaching, and theology, via the bridges of traditional Chinese cultural values and concepts such as dao (‘the Word’), ren (compassion and benevolence), yi (righteousness and justice), li (reverence, propriety, and right relationships), zhi (wisdom to protect land, sea and life), and he (harmony and peace among one another).
We recognize that these developments have their origins in the profound aspirations expressed by Chinese church leaders already more than a century ago, for an authentic, indigenous, unified Christian church in China. And we value these attributes, and many other aspects of the life, work and ministry of the CCC and TSPM, as gifts offered to the wider global ecumenical fellowship for the enrichment of our life and work together in Christ’s service.
Meeting in China at this time of increasing global challenges - including proliferating conflict, rising geopolitical tensions, increasing division, an accelerating climate crisis, and weakening commitment to the multilateral cooperation needed to address these challenges – we acknowledge the increasingly important role of China in the international community. Such a role in the community of nations inherently entails important responsibilities not only for the people of China but for our collective wellbeing on the Living Planet we all share. Among other things, a firm continued commitment to the resolution of disputes through dialogue and diplomacy rather than through military might is a necessary condition for peaceful relations globally. We recognize and appreciate China’s contributions to advancing the work of the United Nations, and to supporting its peacekeeping operations.
We have been especially impressed during this visit by China’s evolving leadership in driving the renewable energy transition. The scale of this investment, and its impact, is staggering. We understand that by the end of 2024, China had installed 887 gigawatts of solar power capacity, close to double Europe’s and America’s combined total, and can now produce almost a terawatt of renewable-energy capacity in a year – enough to supply as much energy as more than 300 large nuclear-power plants. An estimated 64% of all wind and solar plants under construction globally are in China, where surging renewable energy capacity has reduced coal's generation share to new lows. Moreover, China’s production and export of renewable power generation equipment at scale and low cost is enabling a clean energy transition in many parts of the world.
During the days of our meeting in Hangzhou, we lamented the fact that the COP30 UN Climate Change Conference in Belém, Brazil, concluded without commitment to a roadmap for phasing out fossil fuels. However, China’s technological and manufacturing prowess has now created the conditions for aligning economic and environmental interests, not only in China, but throughout the world. The relative quiet of the traffic in Shanghai – due to the preponderance of electric vehicles – sends a loud message of hope.
We pray for the churches and people of China, and the whole world, in these difficult and uncertain times. We pray that our loving God may strengthen us in hope and faithfulness, and endow us all with ren, yi, li, zhi and he, as we continue together on our pilgrimage path of justice, reconciliation and unity.
