China firmly opposes the U.S. International Religious Freedom Report 2018, Geng Shuang, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, told reporters on Friday, adding that China has lodged a solemn representation to the United States due to its interference in China's internal affairs.

The report, released on Friday by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, alleged that China "abuses human and religious rights" in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Geng slammed the report and Pompeo's remarks, saying the report is full of ideological bias. He stressed that China always attaches great importance to protection of religious freedom.

According to Geng, China now has a total of more than 200 million believers, among which, there are over 20 million Muslims, 380,000 clergy, 5500 registered religious groups, and 140,000 registry offices. Xinjiang alone has 24,400 mosques. People of all ethnic groups fully enjoy religious freedom, Geng stressed.

Regarding the vocational training centers in Xinjiang, Geng said the aim is to eradicate the influence of terrorism and extremism. As a measure of counterterrorism, it has yielded fruitful results and contributed greatly to the economic development and social stability in Xinjiang, he said.

Meanwhile, Geng pointed out that the United States, on the other hand, has grave religious problems as the number of mosques in the U.S. is less than one-tenth of that in China.

"We urge the United States and Mr. Pompeo to respect the facts and stop using religious affairs and Xinjiang-related issues as excuses to interfere in China's internal affairs," said the spokesperson.

(Cover: People dance in a flower field in Xinjiang, China, August 6, 2018. /Xinhua Photo)