China's Embassy in Sweden on Thursday condemned and lodged strong opposition to a local newspaper that published distorted facts about China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. 

The article published on Sweden-based Upsala Nya Tidning (UNT) on Monday made unfounded attacks on China's policies in Xinjiang and was full of lies and prejudice against China and constitutes an attempt to maliciously smear China, which is totally unacceptable, the Chinese embassy said on its website. 

Sweden should not use the Xinjiang-related and religious issues to interfere in China's internal affairs, the embassy said, demanding UNT report on Xinjiang in an objective and impartial way.

Cui Hongjian, director of the Department of European Studies at the China Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times that Sweden has come under the spotlight in China after a series of incidents, including Chinese tourists allegedly being brutally treated by police and Sweden's largest television station airing a program full of insults toward China and Chinese tourists.

Some people in Sweden have a deep-rooted bias against China on the topic of "values" and "human rights," and their recent actions targeting China are an overreaction, Cui said.

The UNT opinion piece on Monday claimed that Uyghur people in Xinjiang are forced to live in terrible conditions, where they suffer from daily abuse by the State. The article even called on the Swedish government and the EU to press China on the issue.

The Chinese embassy in Sweden said a series of policy measures implemented in Xinjiang are meant to promote stability, development, solidarity and people's livelihood.