Taiwan's government is telling people to register with the Interior Ministry before traveling to China for religious exchanges, after a rise in cases of Taiwanese going missing or being detained there over their faith.

• Interior Minister Liu Shyh-fang urged travelers to log their trips in the ministry's China exchange disclosure system before going.
• Detentions and disappearances tied to religious belief have become more frequent, and registering lets Taipei step in faster if something goes wrong.
• Beijing has tightened its religious management rules in recent years, and the new rules reach groups and individuals based outside China too.
• Taiwan is not banning cross-strait religious contact, but wants temples and churches to avoid being downgraded in status or used for unification propaganda.
• The government is also pushing temples to legalize their land and buildings and file financial reports on time.

Outlook: Expect more official warnings and pressure on religious groups to register as Beijing keeps expanding its control over faith organizations.