China’s persecution of Catholics has escalated, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, even as one Vatican official said the two sides are talking about opening a representative office in Beijing. According to spokesperson Joanne Ou, the Vatican has been requesting China’s permission for a representative office to be established since 1999. Yet, as the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) oppression of Catholics and other groups has intensified, she said, it shows that the agreement signed with the Vatican did not bring about an improvement in religious freedoms.