Clinton slams China's human rights record as 'deplorable'

AP - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton lashed out against China’s human rights record in an interview released Tuesday during high-level meetings aimed at building goodwill between the two governments.

Clinton, in an interview published on the Web site of The Atlantic magazine, said China’s human rights record is “deplorable” and that history is against governments that resist democracy.

Clinton also had raised human rights, though less stridently, at the start of the U.S.-China Strategic Dialogue, which entered its second and final day Tuesday. Both countries have tried to stress a generally positive track in relations between the economic superpowers.

China had responded in mild terms to Monday’s criticism by Clinton over the crackdown, an issue it regards as an internal matter and which it is highly sensitive about.

The interview, which took place on April 9, focuses on the democracy protests against authoritarian regimes that have rocked the Middle East and North Africa. Clinton is asked if China’s government is scared by the protests.

She says: “They’re worried, and they are trying to stop history, which is a fool’s errand. They cannot do it. But they’re going to hold it off as long as possible.”

Since February, China has questioned or detained hundreds of lawyers, writers and activists in response to anonymous calls made on the Internet for protests. No demonstrations have happened.

There was no immediate comment from China on the interview, although Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Zhijun defended the government’s rights record Tuesday. He said China had made “remarkable” progress in human rights, particularly since it began opening its economy three decades ago, and it remained committed to defending the rights of its people.

He said China was willing to discuss the issue with the U.S. and other countries on the basis of equality, mutual respect and noninterference in each other’s internal affairs. He said that human rights had been touched upon at “all the venues” of the talks in Washington, which have brought together leaders on economics, foreign policy and security.

“No country, including the United States is perfect in human rights issues,” Zhang told a news conference. “It’s only natural for China and the United States to see human rights differently in some aspects as we have different national circumstances.”

After the first day’s discussions in Washington, President Barack Obama met Chinese delegation leader Vice Premier Wang Qishan and State Councilor Dai Bingguo. On human rights, he underscored his support for freedom of expression and political participation, a White House statement said.

Obama also encouraged China to implement policies to support “balanced global growth as well as a more balanced bilateral economic relationship” _ expected to be a key theme of Tuesday’s talks.

The U.S. continues to press China to allow its currency appreciate faster in value against the dollar and to allow Chinese consumer interest rates to rise. Both steps could help boost domestic demand and help lower America’s trade deficit, which hit an all-time high with China last year.

On Monday, a Chinese official blamed U.S. policies for the ballooning trade gap. Commerce Minister Chen Deming told a news conference that China’s currency appreciation was being carried out in a “very healthy manner.” He said the United States needed to change its own policies on high-tech sales and investment as a way to spur American manufacturing.

He took aim at the U.S. screening of Chinese foreign investment proposals, contending it was neither fair nor transparent. Most recently, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States rejected a takeover by private Chinese technology giant Huawei of a small U.S. computer company, 3Leaf, on national security grounds.

U.S. companies have their own long list of complaints: limited access to Chinese markets, theft of intellectual property, widespread use in China of counterfeit software and problems in seeking redress through China’s legal system.

This year’s talks for the first time included high-level military leaders from both nations, a move seen as a way to increase understanding between military commanders and reduce the risk of conflict. China’s military has expanded rapidly in the past 15 years, deploying missiles and naval assets that could challenge American supremacy in the region.

The United States briefed China on the killing of Osama bin Laden, Zhang said, adding that China viewed it as a “positive development as terrorism is a common enemy of the entire international community.”

The two sides also discussed Iran, North Korea and how to work together to provide assistance to Afghanistan, he said.