The US attack on Iraq has been condemned

The report accuses the US of criticising other countries while turning a blind eye to its own human rights violations, such as its current attack on Iraq.

The Chinese report comes just days after the US state department published its own annual assessment of the human rights situation in 196 countries around the world.

That report included criticism of China, particularly its treatment of the Falun Gong spiritual movement.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said the US should think more about its own problems and stop intervening in other countries' domestic affairs, according to Xinhua.

'Violations'

The report, published by China's State Council, points to problem areas in the US such as violent crime, poverty and sexual abuse.

According to the official People's Daily newspaper, the report says the US war against Iraq openly violates the purpose and principle of the United Nations Charter.

The publication -the Human Rights Record of the United States in 2002 - also says rights in the US have been challenged since the 11 September 2001 attacks .

It says US law enforcement agencies now have greater powers to monitor their own citizens.

There have also been restrictions on press freedom since 11 September and a rise in racial discrimination, particularly against Muslims and Arabs, it claims.