China is firmly opposed to any action by the United States to grant asylum to China's Falun Gong practitioners, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhu Bangzao said at a regular press conference on Thursday.

Zhu took the position when asked to comment on the statement made by some officials from the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service during their Hong Kong visit that it is possible the United States would give asylum to the Falun Gong practitioners.

Zhu said that the Falun Gong is the cult that harms the Chinese people and society, and the Chinese government's lawful ban of the organization is an effective measure to protect the basic human rights and freedom of Chinese citizens, maintain social stability and prevent the cult from causing more serious damage to the public.

The move has won the Chinese people's support and the understanding of the international community, Zhu added.

He noted that the U.S. immigration officials disregarded the facts when they made the statement about giving possible asylum to the cult members. Their attitude is a typical demonstration of the double standard the U.S. adopts on the cult problem, he said.

Zhu demanded that the U.S. understand and honor the Chinese government's principled stand on the Falun Gong issue to avoid interfering in China's internal affairs and creating new difficulties for Sino-U.S. relations.