Photo: IC

US President Donald Trump met on Wednesday with 27 "victims of religious persecution" from 17 countries. Four of them were from China: A Falun Gong practitioner; one from Tibet; the spouse of another cult's practitioner; and the daughter of the separatist Ilham Tohti. Tohti used to teach at Minzu University of China. It is hard for people to directly connect his illegal activities with his religious belief.

The "religious freedom" card is a long-time trick the US uses to exert pressure on others. But Washington has exhausted this trick. It is particularly comical for the current US administration to do so.

The Trump administration issued a Muslim travel ban when it just assumed office, aggravating the hostility and estrangement between the West and the Islamic world. Religious discrimination and racism have always been intertwined, and racism is now reaching a new high in American politics. 

On Tuesday, the US House of Representatives passed the first resolution in nearly a century condemning the president's racist comments

Disorder and rifts have appeared in the US values system. The Trump administration is acting according to its "America first" policy in the international arena. The US is suffering from the worst internal conflict and the lowest international prestige. But such an infamous administration has been continuously escalating its ideological attacks on others.

Perhaps this is because the US is full of struggles. No matter what politicians say, supporters always applaud and opponents always spit. Thus, the US government feels at ease even when telling lies to the international society. 

Chinese people enjoy religious freedom. All religious groups and activities involving the public interest should be managed by the government according to law. Such a principle of religious governance should fit all countries under the rule of law.

But some extreme forces, especially separatist forces, flaunt the banner of religion and engage in subversive activities that violate China's Constitution and laws. These forces should be eliminated.

It's not hard for Western society to learn from its history about extreme religious activities' harm to society. Western countries continue to suffer from extremism. But some people pretend not to know this. The so-called victims of religious persecution they support are precisely those who engage in extreme political activities.

Due to the China-US clashes over religion-related human rights issues and the US' shameless double standard in this field, Chinese society is aware of the US' malicious intentions when it preaches on religious freedom. 

The selfish US government is advancing "America first" every day. How can it possibly wish the Chinese people live a better life? It is increasingly difficult for the US to disturb Chinese society. Xinjiang and Tibet have restored order long ago with the constant economic and social accomplishments. A new harmony has been shaped between religious freedom and social order. Religious extremism is condemned by all ethnic groups. A few extremists, who are supported by forces from the US and the West, no longer have any influence in Chinese society. They have become pathetic cannon fodder in the US containment of China.