'West Using Christianity To Subvert China'

A mainland official accused "anti-China forces" in the West of using Christianity to subvert the country's political power and said worshippers must follow a Chinese form of religion.

"Anti-China forces in the West are attempting to continue to influence the social stability of our country through Christianity, and even subvert the political power of our country," Xu Xiaohong, chairman of the National Three-Self Patriotic Movement Committee, which oversees the Protestant churches, said on Monday.

Speaking at the annual gathering of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), Xu described the introduction of Christianity in China as "accompanying the intense colonial aggression by the West".

Only by incorporating Chinese culture into Christianity would the religion become something Chinese people could identify with, said Xu.

For those who "subvert national security in the name of Christianity, we support the country in bringing them to justice", he added.

His remarks come days after the US envoy for religious freedom, Sam Brownback, in a speech on Friday in Hong Kong, criticised the Chinese government, saying it is engaged in the persecution of Muslim Uighurs, Tibetan Buddhists, Christians and Falungong practitioners.

The speech prompted a sternly worded response from the foreign ministry office in Hong Kong. (AFP)