Religious minorities are among the most persecuted people in China, according to George Soros.

The billionaire financier has been funding liberal political projects for years including the push to change Ireland’s laws on marriage and the right to life. Writing in the Wall Street Journal on Friday, Mr Soros said he considers Chinese Premier Xi Jinping “the most dangerous enemy of open societies in the world”.

He added that those of a religious persuasion suffer the most: “The Chinese people as a whole are among his victims, but domestic political opponents and religious and ethnic minorities suffer from his persecution much more”.

He highlighted the surveillance state as one powerful tool for effecting this: “I find it particularly disturbing that so many Chinese people seem to find his social-credit surveillance system not only tolerable but attractive. It provides them social services free of charge and tells them how to stay out of trouble by not saying anything critical of Mr. Xi or his regime.”