China protests US criticism of its policies on religion

HONG KONG : China has issued a protest over remarks the US ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom made criticising Beijing’s polices toward Muslim and Tibetan Buddhist minorities and saying the country was “at war with faith.” The foreign ministry’s office in Hong Kong said the speech Sam Brownback gave Friday “slandered” China’s religious policies. It said it had registered its dissatisfaction Saturday with the US Consulate in the semi-autonomous Chinese region, where the speech was given.

China’s constitution and laws protect freedom of religion and critics should “cease their slander of China’s policies on religion and the situation with freedom of faith and cease using religious issues to interfere in China’s internal affairs,” the office said in a statement.

US officials and UN experts say China is believed to be holding 1 million Uighurs, Muslims and members of other majority Muslim ethnic groups in political education camps in Xinjiang. The US and other governments have criticized the crackdown.

The Chinese government says those camps are vocational training centres designed to rid the region of extremism.

Brownback said President Donald Trump’s administration is “deeply concerned and considered it a deliberate attempt by Beijing to redefine and control these Muslim minority groups, (their) identity, culture and faith.” He urged Beijing to grant free access to the camps.