China on Thursday said the U.S. should stop its legal system as the basis for judging how other countries conduct law enforcement, after the U.S. criticized China for a lack of religious freedom.
"We call on the U.S. to respect the facts and stop attacking China's religious policies by issuing such reports," Hua Chunying, a foreign ministry spokesperson, told a Thursday briefing, adding that Chinese law protects citizens' freedom of religious belief.
She urged the U.S. to stop adopting double standards on the issue and stop making irresponsible remarks toward other countries.
This comes after U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called for the release of human rights lawyer Zhang Kai, who is a Christian, together with the U.S. government's annual report on international religious freedom on Wednesday.
"The U.S. expects China to carry out religious activities using Western standards, which may not be suitable for Chinese society," Li Yunlong, a professor at the Party School of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, told the Global Times.
The U.S. State Department said it was also concerned by reports that Bao Zhuoxuan, the son of another detained human rights lawyer, has been allegedly placed under house arrest in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
However, Chinese police told the Global Times that anti-China forces in the U.S. were planning to help the 16-year-old Bao get to the U.S. through Myanmar and Thailand. The police added that Bao has resumed his life and studies, and lives with his grandmother in Inner Mongolia.
Bao and two others were arrested by Myanmar police on October 6. His parents were detained for allegedly disrupting public order in July. According to the police, Bao's parents claimed to have no knowledge of his son's attempt to flee to the U.S..
"These suspects wanted to hype China's human rights issues by trying to fake Bao's persecution. This can make those unfamiliar with the facts suspicious about Chinese legal system," Wu Qingbao, a legal expert at the Beijing Law Society, told the Global Times.
Li said that religious freedom is protected by China's Constitution, and religious activities are managed in accordance with related regulations and laws which ban them from sabotaging the country.
