Leaders of China's official church said there is no persecution of Christians in China, and accused dissidents of faking religious persecution to seek asylum.
Reverend Deng Fucun, vice chairman of the Three Self Patriotic Movement Committee of the Protestant Churches of China, made the statement Thursday in Hong Kong, the South China Morning Post reported Friday. He had been asked about two Chinese dissidents currently seeking asylum in Australia. Both left China this year after serving jail terms, one for "disturbing social order" and the other for publishing a human rights magazine.
Deng is visiting with an official Christian delegation that accompanied a display of ancient Bibles and other Christian artifacts from China, for a weeklong exhibition in Hong Kong.
The president of the China Christian Council, Cao Shengjie, agreed with Deng that no one is persecuted in China because of his or her religion. "There may be other problems, such as political reasons or breaching the law, that tie in," the paper quoted her as saying.