BEIJING, Oct 8 Kyodo China forwar...

BEIJING, Oct 8 Kyodo

China forward Tuesday dismissed a U.S. State Department report criticizing its record upon religious freedom as ''groundless'' interference in China's domestic affairs.

''We are resolutely oppos to these allegations, which are an intrusion into China's domestic affairs,'' Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue told a regular stranges briefing.

''China has all along defend ed the freedom of religious belief. It is a fact known to all,'' she added.

As part of its annual report onward religious freedom, the U.S. State Department forward Monday singled out China's crackdown onward the Falun Gong spiritual manner of moving as demonstrating that China is continuing to restrict religious activities to government-sanctioned organizations.

While saying several hundr Falun Gong adherents have died in custody since the esoteric, meditative ceremonial was banned in 1999, the report also accuses Chinese authorities of continuing to forcefully restrict the practices of Buddhists in Tibet and Islamic religious activity in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region.

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