BEIJING -- The freedom of religious belief is guaranteed by law in China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, said a white paper issued Wednesday.

In Xinjiang, people have the freedom to believe in or not believe in any religion, to believe in one religion in preference to another, to believe in any sect of the same religion, to abandon their past beliefs, and to become believers at their chosen time, said the white paper titled "Respecting and Protecting the Rights of All Ethnic Groups in Xinjiang."

No citizen may suffer discrimination or unfair treatment for practicing or not practicing any religion, said the document issued by the State Council Information Office.