BEIJING, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- China on Tuesday urged the U.S. to stop interfering in its internal affairs under the pretext of human rights issues.

China is willing to engage in dialogues with the U.S. on human rights issues based on equality and mutual respect, Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said.

"But we are firmly against the U.S. interfering in our internal affairs under the pretext of human rights issues," Liu said, adding that the U.S. should stop "finger-wagging" over human rights and reflect more on its own human rights problems.

The Chinese government attaches great importance to protecting the fundamental rights of people of all ethnic groups and protecting the religious freedom of its citizens according to the law, and it is obvious to all that China has already made great achievements in human rights protection, Liu said.

Liu's comments came after the U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton talked about issues including human rights and Internet freedom before the Human Rights Day.

Gary Locke, the U.S. ambassador to China, also recently urged Beijing to improve its human rights record, pointing to Liu Xiaobo's case as an example where China falls short.

China is a legal state that deals with legal cases according to law, and the U.S. has no right to interfere in China's internal affairs and judicial sovereignty, Liu said.

The Chinese government attaches great importance to the development of the Internet and it regulates the Internet according to the law, Liu added.