Leaders of China's religious community have expressed their opposition to a U.S. report accusing the Chinese government of violating religious freedom and persecuting the Falungong sect.

The Annual Report on International Religious Freedom was released in May this year by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, an agency under the State Department.

Chen Guangyuan, president of the Islamic Association of China, said: "China's ban of the anti-social cult Falungong is legitimate, a reflection of public opinion and it shows that the government is protecting citizens' rights."

Accusing the report of "distorting the truth for political reasons", Liu Bonian, vice chairman of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, said the U.S. support of Falungong is harmful to relations between the two countries.

Xue Cheng, vice president of the Buddhist Association of China, said China's Buddhist community would continue to oppose actions by Falungong that run counter to orthodox Buddhism.

He also called on the U.S. side to refrain from interfering in China's internal affairs via religious issues.

Source: Xinhua