[JURIST] China Tuesday criticized a US State Department report on its human rights record, accusing the United States of using human rights to interfere in the country's internal affairs. A Chinese Foreign Ministry [official website] spokesman also alleged human rights abuses by the US, both at home and internationally, although it did not point to specific incidents. The report on China [text] was released Monday [JURIST report] by the US State Department [official website] as part of its annual review of human rights. Although the report found numerous advances in the protection of human rights in China, it concluded that serious abuses remained, including severe restrictions on freedom of speech and the press and on Internet use. Review the complete 2004 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. Reuters has more.