China protests US blacklisting in religious freedom

BEIJING - China on Monday lodged a protest against US federal advisory body labeling China as a "country of particular concern" on a religious affairs blacklist.

The call came after the US Commission on International Religious Freedom said in its annual report published Thursday that China is a "country of particular concern", a ranking that also includes Vietnam, Myanmar and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

"The report is full of political bias and groundless accusation, which China strongly opposes," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a daily news briefing.

"China has already protested to the US, requiring the US to stop interfering in China's internal affairs under the pretext of religion," she said.

Hua reiterated that the Chinese government respects and protects its citizens' full religious freedom.