A Chinese activist detained for organizing a demonstration in support of bloggers must be released, Amnesty International said as her trial began in Beijing.

Christians in China need qualified clergy who can contribute to the development of society, China's Minister of State Administration for Religious Affairs says.

The Chinese authorities should immediately release prominent pro-democracy activist Liu Xianbin, human rights agency Amnesty International says.

China is being called on to release a woman sentenced to a year in a labour camp for retweeting a supposedly anti-Japanese message.