A wide range of faiths are represented in the Government, the judiciary, and the civil service. There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom during the period covered during this report. There were no reports of religious detainees or prisoners. There were no reports of the forced religious conversion of minor U.S. citizens who had been abducted or illegally removed from the United States, or of the Government's refusal to allow such citizens to be returned to the United States. Societal Attitudes Relations between the various religious communities are amicable.
Citizens are generally very tolerant of others' religious views and practices.
U.S. Government Policy Officers from the Consulate General in Hong Kong meet regularly with religious leaders. In February 1998, the Consulate General hosted a delegation of U.S. religious leaders, which made a 3-week visit to China at the invitation of Chinese President Jiang Zemin. Representatives of Macau's major religious and human rights groups were included in meetings with the delegation.