China slams US rights report

[cal04]

BEIJING has dismissed as groundless a report by the United States that listed China among the world's most serious rights offenders.

Qin Gang, the spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said overnight that China has continuously been making progress on improving human rights.

"We would like to advise America to care more about its own human rights issues and stop interfering with other nations' domestic politics," Mr Qin said.

Beijing is due to issue a report on Thursday local time about human rights in the United States.


http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21345290-1702,00.html

[Tempest]

1. Brazil rejects U.S. human rights report as biased

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N07230462.htm


In related news, the U.S. isn't even going to try to get a seat on the U.N.'s Human Rights committee.

[David__77]

2. China is light years ahead of many US allies like Saudi Arabia.

What sane person wouldn't prefer the policies and norms of China to those of Saudi Arabia. The latter gets only perfunctory criticism. US "human rights" concerns are just a smokescreen for hegemony.

[MGD]

4. I would hardly call China light years ahead of anybody when it concerns human rights

That isn't to say that Saudi Arabia is some kind of a beacon of righteousness either of course but hey, let's not give anybody credit that isn't due here.

"US "human rights" concerns are just a smokescreen for hegemony."
The current Administration has sullied our reputation in this world as radical conservative administrations are prone to doing; however, many of us still consider the defense of human rights to be a defining American characteristic. This characteristic is one of the things that makes us good despite George Bush and it's why people from all over the world want to come here; again, despite George Bush.

[BayCityProgressive]

5. The US is not now or

ever has been a leader in human rights. Are you kidding!?!? The reason people come here is usually because we have ruined their homeland i.e. Somalia, Vietnam, Iraq, Cuba, Latin America. We are the only industrial nation with the death penalty and Clinton opposed any measure to get rid of it or even require DNA testing. He was to the right of Atilla the Hun on the issue for God's sake.We have torture camps all over the world, the patriot act, our CIA has been documented as using tests on US civilians, for MANY years a communist couldn't even hold public office, only industrial nation without healthcare, imperialism abroad, highest percentage of prison inmates ect ect you could go on for DAYS. Some people here will be in for a big surprise when Bush is out and a lot of this stays the same.

[MGD]

15. Go stand outside the whitehouse and protest your government in plain sight of the government.

Now go to China and act similarly. Then feel free to tell me that the US isn't a leader in human rights. And I'm sorry, but people do not come here because we have destroyed their homelands. While this may account for some migration it hardly accounts for all migration. People come here because they understand that they can work hard and be rewarded for it.

"We are the only industrial nation with the death penalty"
Many of our individual states have, in fact, abolished the death penalty and, in the vast majority of cases, the sentence is handed down by a jury of the defendant’s peers - not the government which can hardly be called unfair and then the defendant is given numerous opportunities to appeal the sentence. Again, the system of administration can hardly be called unfair and; what's more, the death penalty isn't the only human rights issue on the planet.

"We have torture camps all over the world, the patriot act"
This post GWB America you're talking about. No one here is going to argue that he hasn't sullied our benevolent reputation and squandered any goodwill the world might have had for us after 9-11.

"for MANY years a communist couldn't even hold public office"
A different time with different circumstances. We were involved in a cold war against a communist superpower. Most Americans were fully on board with this and, to be honest, most Americans are probably still fully on board with this even though it isn't official policy now.

"only industrial nation without healthcare"
We don't have healthcare? What's that building with all those Dr.s and nurses all about then? Seriously, we have Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid as well as numerous state and local interests which all contribute to a tax rate of about 28-33%. Fully 30% of my earned wages are handed over to one government or another. Another 3% is taken out to pay for my health insurance premiums. I will not now will I ever support anything that increases my taxes beyond what they already are. Sorry. That being said, no person in this country can be denied emergency healthcare. We basically have universal healthcare, we just don't call it that.

"highest percentage of prison inmates"
Highest percentage of criminals too.

[Miss Chybil]

8. Yes, in Saudi Arabia they just chop off your head when they execute

you, they don't sell your parts. Oh wait, you were saying China is better... Yes, in China they just sell your body parts when they execute you, they don't chop of your head!

/sarcasm

[dkofos]

9. Well even the saudi's don't execute prisoners to sell the organs.

[BayCityProgressive]

11. yeah

at least when both countries execute you it is fast..here we don't require dna testing and we inject poison into you the wrong way so that you suffer horrible pain for a 1/2 hour before dying..

[dkofos]

13. so I guess the idea of selling body parts is Ok with you

[BayCityProgressive]

14. where in the world are you getting that?

I hate how people on DU stick words in your mouth all of the time. Apparently you missed my whole point. The US has a horrid human rights record and a barbaric death penalty..further down in this thread you will see that I also say that china is in the top 10-20 human rights abusers as well. Everything isn't black and white. I feel like a lot of people here follow the "you're either with us or against us" Bush ideology.

[jaksavage]

3. Viva China

The more players who call bullshit on this goverment the better.

[pampango]

6. Isn't there a law that the State Department has to produce

these human rights reports every year?

[BayCityProgressive]

7. probably

and we should all trust whatever they say! :sarcasm:

[dkofos]

10. We could do alot better in this country, but china is probably in

the top ten for abuse.

And I really want to see what china has to say about us

[BayCityProgressive]

12. I agree

China is a human rights abuser as well. I would say both countries are in the top 10-20. Especially if you count the US foreign policy.