tibets face oppression and surveillance. it was the testing ground for many of the techniques now used. chinese authorities also continue to restrict the freedom of religion of christian communities and others. protestant house churches are being shut down and even officially registered churches are under increased government scrutiny. in september, the holy see in china signed a two-year provisional agreement on the selection of bishops in china, which raises additional religious freedom concerns. members of the church of almighty god also reportedly continued to face detention, forced labor and torture. as both of you noted, the government also continues to abuse lawyers, human rights defenders and other activists. we are particularly concerned about the cases of wong jong, john tiong and wong chi who have been imprisoned and abused for the fight for the rights of others. any advocate for social change, including the efforts of women's, lgbti, labor and migrant rights groups runs the risk of intimidation and ha rationment. journalists also continue to have their practices restricted and rights abused. as members of this committee have previously noted, china's system of oppression is exacerbated by the gov