Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu on Thursday slashed a US religious report criticizing China's religious situation, saying "China is strongly resentful of and resolutely opposes the report which runs counter to the fundamental principles of international relations and openly interferes in China's internal affairs."

 

Commenting on the International Religious Freedom Report 2007 released by the US State Department, Jiang said the report's China section has thrown stones at the country's religious and ethnic policies for no reasons as before by trampling on the norms of international relations, and has interfered in China's internal affairs.

 

Jiang said that all ethnic groups and people across China enjoy the freedom of belief fully as entitled by the law, and the Chinese government has taken it a long-term policy to respect and protect religious freedom of its citizens. "This is undeniable fact that does not allow any distortion," she said.

 

She said China demands the US side stop using issues such as religion to intervene in China's internal affairs, and do more to promote mutual understanding and trust between the two countries instead.

 

(Xinhua News Agency September 20, 2007)