China says rights groups that issued critical reports are biased

Two rights groups that issued reports this week criticizing China's treatment of minorities at home and its interference abroad are biased and distorting facts, foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said on Wednesday. Geng made the comments responding to the reports at a daily news briefing.

In its annual report on Tuesday, New York-based Human Rights Watch condemned Beijing's treatment of Uighur Muslims in the far western region of Xinjiang and warned of China's growing efforts to influence and censor others abroad. On Wednesday, U.S. democracy watchdog group Freedom House released a similar report that focused on China's interference in media overseas.