"The United States should stop using human rights as an excuse to interfere into other countries' internal affairs and pay more attention to its own human rights problems," Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said Wednesday.

Liu said the American side should change its wrong practice of confrontation on human rights issues.

He made this remark when asked to comment on a report issued by the US State Department on human rights records of 98 countries and regions for the period of 2004 and 2005.

"This report played the old tone of irresponsibly condemning the Chinese government and stigmatizing China's human rights records. We firmly oppose it," Liu said.

The Chinese government has stuck to the principle of governance for the people and achieved much progress in protecting human rights, expanding democracy and strengthening the rule of law, he said.