China said Tuesday it would welcome a U.S. government advisory panel on religious freedom, which postponed a visit to China accusing Beijing of trying to restrict its activities in Hong Kong.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao told a press conference China had put in a lot of hard work ahead of the visit by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.
"But just before they started their visit, they made a new agenda. The two sides didn't reach a consensus on the new agenda and the U.S. side decided to postpone the visit."
The U.S. commission postponed its China trip for the second time Monday. The group said in August it had delayed an earlier visit because the Chinese government refused to let it visit Hong Kong.
Liu was speaking hours ahead of scheduled talks between Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and President Bush in Washington, which are expected to include U.S. demands for greater respect for religious freedom and human rights in China.
Communist China officially protects religious freedom but the government forbids all worship outside state-approved "patriotic" religious organizations.
Hong Kong, a former British colony, reverted to Chinese rule in 1997. Beijing closely monitors political and social developments there and fears the city could be used as a base for activities banned on the mainland.
The U.S. government-funded commission, created in 1998 to provide independent advice to the U.S. government and Congress, said in August it had postponed an earlier visit because the Chinese government refused to let the group visit Hong Kong.
This time, the panel said in a statement on its Web site, the Chinese government agreed to a stopover in Hong Kong but insisted that the commission members not hold any meetings.