China rejects U.S. rights report as meddling

BEIJING (Reuters) – China has rejected a U.S. report
criticizing its repression of human and religious rights as a
distorted attack and meddling in the country’s internal
affairs.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan expressed China’s
“resolute opposition” to the report by the
Congressional-Executive Commission on China released on
Tuesday.

Kong said the report to Congress and the president
distorted facts, continued to attack China on human rights,
religion, Tibet, Xinjiang, Hong Kong and women’s rights, and
disregarded the country’s achievements.

“The report wantonly interferes in China’s internal affairs
and we express resolute opposition to it,” Kong said in a
statement on the Foreign Ministry Web site (www.fmprc.gov.cn).

China has maintained sustained, fast and healthy economic
development and people of all ethnic groups enjoyed their full
legal rights and basic freedoms, Kong said.

He suggested U.S. officials and lawmakers focus more on the
affairs of their own country and contribute more to mutual
understanding and cooperation between China and the United
States.

China has hailed its own achievements in granting greater
freedoms to its 1.3 billion people, but argues that feeding and
clothing the enormous population takes precedence over
individual rights.