China on Wednesday expressed "firm opposition" to a U.S. report about China's religious situation, where it said China continues to perpetrate "particularly severe violations of religious freedom."

The U.S. State Department released its 2013 annual international religious freedom report on July 29, which continued to include China on Tier 1 on a list of countries of particular concern in the matter of freedom of religion.

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The report said that during the covered period, China's police "detained students, monks, laypersons, and others in many Tibetan areas who called for freedom, human rights, including respect for freedom of religion, or for expressing support for the Dalai Lama or solidarity with individuals who had self-immolated."

It also mentioned that China continued to persecute unregistered house churches and their practitioners, sentencing seven house church Christians in Ye County, Henan Province, reportedly for recording and copying sermons.

In response, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang said, "We urge the U.S to abandon its political bias and stop interfering in China's internal affairs under the pretext of religion." 

Qin said the foreign ministry is "firmly opposed to the U.S. act of ignoring facts and attacking China's religious policies," and that the Chinese government protects its citizens' freedom of religious beliefs.

He added that the Chinese people of all ethnic groups enjoy full freedom of practising religion in accordance with laws.

Meanwhile, a separate annual report by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom for 2014 said that for Tibetan Buddhists and Uighur Muslims in China, "conditions are worse now than at any time in the past decade."

The report also cited threats to independent Catholics and Protestants who face arrests, fines, and the shuttering of their places of worship.

The USCIRF is an independent federal commission that is dedicated to defending "the universal right to freedom of religion or belief" overseas, and makes related policy recommendations to the president of the U.S. and to congress.

Tagsqin gang, US State Department, religious freedom