Authorities in north-western China are cracking down on any Christian activity outside the state-monitored church.

According to Radio Free Asia, officials in Xinjiang have made more than eleven million pounds available for people who inform them about Christians breaking the law.

They recently fined six believers more than 100 pounds for meeting secretly, and confiscated their Bibles.

The punishments are part of "anti-terror" rallies conducted by the Chinese army in Xinjiang. Authorities say the area has a history of violence from Islamist and other political violence, but others say the rallies are meant to repress freedom of speech and thought.

Zhu Xiaohu, one of the Christians fined in Xinjiang, told the station: "They want us to join the [state-sponsored] Three-Self association, but we told them we couldn't because we don't understand their services.

"We just got together by ourselves for prayer, preaching, and discussion. There was nobody else. But they said we were breaking the law, and wouldn't allow it."

China is currently ranked number 39 on Open Doors' World Watch List of the worst countries for Christian persecution.