China slams US' rights record

By Gao Xiaohui

China published its report on the US' human rights record Sunday, showing violent and discriminatory elements present in the US.

This report ran counter to the US' latest report slamming Chinese human rights.

Focusing on six aspects of social conditions in the US, the report is the 11th such annual review published by the State Council Information Office. It comes as a rebuttal to an annual US paper that highlights human rights situations around the world.

The Chinese report describes violations of civil and political rights in the US, as well as examples of racial discrimination and of poor women and children's rights. On the international scene, it depicts US violations of human rights in other nations.

Quoting data from WikiLeaks and other sources, the report said the US is responsible for the large number of civilian casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan and the prisoner abuse scandals that have dogged counterterrorism initiatives.

"The violation of (US) citizens' civil and political rights by the government is severe … by requesting unrestricted ‘internet freedom' in other countries, which becomes an important diplomatic tool for the United States to impose pressure and seek hegemony, and imposing strict restriction within its territory," the report said.

Foreign Policy magazine has also pointed out that the American approach to the Internet is "full of problems and contradictions."

The US State Department published The Country Reports on Human Rights Practice on Friday, reviewing human rights conditions in 194 countries, with the US as an exception.

The head of the Kremlin's human rights council, Mikhail Fedotov, also slammed the American report as "propaganda material."

"The US likes to see itself as a global beacon lighting the world," Ni Feng, director of the Institute of American Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.

"Although the Chinese GDP ranks as the world's second-largest, its per capita GDP lags far behind many nations. That's why China is prioritizing development, a basic human right, ahead of other rights," Ni said. "But for the US, the world's uncontested No. 1 economy, civil and political rights have replaced economic development as its major social issues."

China on Saturday said it would like to conduct dialogues on different views the two sides hold regarding human rights issues.

"Understanding and communication about human rights are highly recommended to avoid conflicts and promote cooperation among nations," Ni added.

Wang Zhaokun contributed to this story


(2011-4-12/Global Times)