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China hits back at US on rights, says Iraq war a disaster
By Guy Newey
13/03/08 -- -- BEIJING (AFP) - China on Thursday accused the
United States of human rights hypocrisy, as it branded the US
invasion of Iraq the "greatest humanitarian disaster" of the
modern world.
In an annual response to Washington's criticism of China's human
rights record, the Chinese government labelled the United States
arrogant, and highlighted what it said were widespread US
failures at home and abroad.
"(America's) arrogant critique on the human rights of other
countries are always accompanied by a deliberate ignoring of
serious human rights problems on its own territory," said the
report, released by the state Xinhua news agency.
"This was not only inconsistent with universally recognised
norms of international relations, but also exposed the double
standards and downright hypocrisy of the United States on the
human rights issue, and inevitably impaired its international
image."
The US-led war in Iraq that began in 2003 was one of the many
issues of concern highlighted by China in the report, entitled
"The Human Rights Record of the United States in 2007."
"The United States has a notorious record of trampling on the
sovereignty of and violating human rights in other countries,"
it said.
"The invasion of Iraq by American troops has produced the
biggest human rights tragedy and the greatest humanitarian
disaster in modern world."
It also criticised civilian deaths in Afghanistan, secret
prisons and torture of detainees.
"'Secret prison' and 'torturing prisoners' have become
synonymous with America," the report said.
The report added that US citizens' right to join unions had been
restricted, prisoners' rights had been violated, and authorities
attempted to manipulate the media.
The report launched attacks on the United States' inability to
tackle poverty, fight crime and even the exorbitant cost of
running for president.
China said it had released the report to give the world a
clearer insight into US failings and address the imbalance of
the State Department's annual report on human rights, released
Tuesday.
The State Department report removed China from its list of the
world's worst human rights violators, but said there were still
widespread problems.
The US report singled out tightened controls on religious
freedom against Buddhists in Tibet and in Muslims in China's
northwestern Xinjiang region as areas for concern.
"The government also continued to monitor, harass, detain,
arrest, and imprison activists, writers, journalists, and
defence lawyers and their families, many of whom were seeking to
exercise their rights under the law," it said.
Rights groups complained that China should not have been removed
from the list of worst violators, saying it sent the wrong
signal ahead of the Beijing Olympics.
In response, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the
report was still harsh on China.
But she cited China's willingness to renew a dialogue on human
rights with the United States as a reason for its improved
status.
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