Chinese authorities are escalating pressure on religious communities and political dissidents through multiple enforcement actions, according to recent reports and human rights organizations.

Chinese officials have announced plans to seize what they term "offense-related assets" belonging to imprisoned media mogul and democracy activist Jimmy Lai. The asset forfeiture represents an expansion of legal actions against the Hong Kong publisher, who has been detained since 2020 on charges related to national security violations.

Separately, Human Rights Watch has documented increased pressure on China's underground Catholic community, which numbers approximately 12 million adherents. The human rights organization reports that Chinese authorities are intensifying a decade-long campaign aimed at aligning religious practices with Communist Party ideology.

The pressure on underground Catholics is part of broader efforts by Beijing to bring religious institutions under state control. China officially recognizes only state-sanctioned religious organizations, leaving millions of Catholics who maintain allegiance to the Vatican in a legally precarious position.

These enforcement actions occur against the backdrop of China's broader campaign to assert greater control over civil society institutions, including religious groups, media organizations, and political movements that operate outside official channels. The measures affect both high-profile dissidents and ordinary citizens practicing their faith independently of state oversight.