BEIJING (Reuters) - China slammed an annual U.S. report on International Religious Freedom on Tuesday, saying its criticisms of China had distorted the truth.
``This report distorts and attacks China's religious policy without reason and China's legal suppression of the activities of the Falun Gong (news - web sites) cult,'' Foreign Ministry spokesman Sun Yuxi told a news conference.
The U.S. Department of State released its Religious Freedom Report on October 26 and included references to China's efforts to control religious groups to prevent challenges to one-party Communist rule.
``The U.S. report openly tramples on the norms of international relations and interferes in China's internal affairs,'' Sun said. ``China expresses strong dissatisfaction and firm objections to this report.''
The report also said China's respect for freedom of religion and conscience had worsened between July 1 2000 and June 30 2001, especially for some unregistered groups and spiritual movements such as Falun Gong.
China has branded the Falun Gong, which follows a mixture of Taoist and Buddhist beliefs and traditional Chinese physical exercises, an ``evil cult,'' banned it and tried to stamp it out.
Thousands of adherents have been sent to labor camps, a punishment which does not require a trial.
Earlier this month, Beijing and Washington re-started a human rights dialogue put on ice after U.S. jets on a NATO (news - web sites) mission bombed the Chinese embassy in Belgrade in 1999.
Relations between the United States and China have improved, at least on the surface, since the world's most populous nation threw its weight behind the U.S.-led war against terror in the wake of the September 11 attacks on the United States.
But Chinese state media have said that differences remain including views on Taiwan, human rights and missile defense.