U.S. urged to stop using religion to smear China after latest report

The U.S. once again made China its top target in its latest report on international religious freedom, linking China with "genocide" and "anti-Semitism," which is completely inaccurate, said the Chinese Embassy in the U.S. Washington is urged to stop using so-called religious issues to meddle in China's internal affairs, said an Embassy spokesperson.

The report, which was published on Wednesday local time, described China as "a repressive regime," claiming there is "genocide" in Xinjiang and "restriction" of certain religious activities. The report also pointed to a rise in "anti-Semitism" online. 

Responding to the report, Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, pointed out that the accusations in the report are inaccurate, according to media reports, and the U.S. is trying to interfere in China's domestic affairs.

"There are nearly 200 million religious believers in China," he said. "The Chinese government protects citizens' freedom of religious belief in accordance with the law. People of all ethnic groups in China are fully entitled to the freedom of religious belief as prescribed by law."

China has always maintained religious freedom and harmony among different religions, which is a basic fact, Chang Jian, director of the Center for the Study of Human Rights at Nankai University, told the Global Times on Thursday. 

However, religious activities must be legal, he stressed. "Some so-called 'religious organizations' use religion as a cover to engage in illegal activities, interfere in politics, and disrupt social stability. Such organizations cannot be called religious and should not be protected."

The stigmatization of China's human rights issues by the U.S. has become a common practice, using illegal organizations to attack China's religious freedom, he said. The U.S. has always used these so-called human rights issues as a weapon to attack China internationally, and this is another such attempt.

In fact, observers from around the world and various organizations have been invited multiple times to visit regions such as Xinjiang and Xizang in China to investigate the actual situation, and have repeatedly confirmed the development of human rights and living conditions in these areas, including progress in counter-terrorism efforts. Earlier on Sunday, journalists from 16 countries just concluded a trip to Xinjiang, where they gained first-hand knowledge of the region's development and cultural protection.

Chang also refuted accusations that the Chinese government tacitly approves and tolerates anti-Semitic remarks, pointing out that these remarks do not have religious or discriminatory connotations.

"People's comments on Israel's war in Gaza are not related to religion," he said. "When some netizens criticize Israel, it is because of its unjust behavior in the war, not because of their religion or race. This criticism should not be linked to anti-Semitism."

At the same time, observers pointed out that the reason for the ongoing conflict in Gaza is the U.S.' unequivocal support for Israel, which reflects the complete failure of U.S. Middle East policy.

"The current actions of the U.S. are completely double standards," Chang said. "On one hand, they continue to accuse China of 'violating human rights' in some regions to contain China. On the other, they support Israel's inhumane military actions in the Gaza Strip."