Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue said the Chinese...

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue said the Chinese Foreign Ministry demanded that the United States repatriate Zhang Honggbao the leader of Zhong Gong a spiritual sect that has been banned in China, where he is accused of violent crimes and could face the death penalty. Zhang's group, which claims 30 million followers, dismisses the charges as fabrication.Along with the better-known Falun Gong spiritual movement, Zhong Gong has been banned in China as an "evil cult", accused of "using feudal superstition to deceive the masses".China is angry that the United States has refused to repatriate Falun Gong leader Li Hongzhi and that the United States has criticised China's harsh crackdown on the group.