World Tibet Network News Thursday, February 12, 1998

NEW YORK, Feb 11 (Reuters) - Some Western critics of China's record on religion have "a Cold War mentality" and are ignorant of various faiths practiced in China, the head of a Chinese delegation visiting the United States said on Wednesday.

The religious affairs delegation is nearing the end of a 10-day trip as a team of U.S. clerics continues its landmark visit to China intended to discuss religious freedom with their official hosts and followers of different religions in the world's most populous and fastest-developing country.

Religious freedom in China is a sensitive issue, particularly over the Himalayan region of Tibet, where critics say the communist government is systematically destroying the Tibetan Buddhist faith. In June last year the powerful Christian Coalition tried to block President Bill Clinton's renewal of China's Most Favored Nation trading status over alleged persecution of believers.

"There are some people who accuse China of religious persecution but the main reasons for their accusations against China are due to the fact they don't seem to have a good understanding or are ignorant of what is happening in China or the reality of China," delegation leader Ye Xiaowen said through an interpreter at a news conference in New York.

Ye, a senior official of the Bureau of Religious Affairs of the State Council, or cabinet, defended China's record on religious rights, echoing previous government statements.

The U.S.-based Human rights Watch/Asia has said Beijing has stepped up harassment of unauthorized Catholic and Protestant groups in recent years, including tightening controls on contacts with foreigners. China said it had taken action against a number of cults but these were quasi-religious groups that had disturbed social order.

"If you look at culture through colored spectacles the view you will have will sometimes turn out to be distorted," said Ye, whose delegation has visited Washington, Illinois, North Carolina, Washington D.C. and New York at the invitation of popular American evangelist the Rev. Billy Graham.

"Although this does not include the possibility that there are some people who still pander to the Cold War mentality and view China as a potential or possible enemy," Ye said.

Religion has made a revival in recent years as Beijing relaxes controls over religious groups, once suppressed as subversive. The Chinese government says there are 100 million religious believers in China, including Buddhists, Muslims, Taoists and Christians -- about 10 million Protestants and four million Catholics.

Asked about priests and bishops who were unable to practice in China or were imprisoned, Ye said there were religious believers in China's jails "not because of their religious beliefs but because of their violation of laws."

He cited an example of one man who was convicted of raping 17 women, including a 14-year-old girl, while working under the guise of a religious leader.

The London-based Tibet Information Network says the U.S. clerics visiting China would find it hard to get a clear picture of religion in Tibet.

Before meeting monks at a Tibetan Buddhist temple in Beijing Wednesday, the three members of the delegation were asked about the dangers of being used by China for propaganda purposes. They said they were willing to risk being manipulated to open a dialogue with Beijing on religious freedom.