Home -> Law Blog Directory -> Legal News Blogs -> JURIST - The Paper Chase

Legal News

: JURIST - The Paper Chase

China chides US on rights record in report response

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

[JURIST] The Chinese government responded on Friday to the release of a US human rights report critical of China by issuing its own report criticizing the US human rights record. The report covered issues relating to crime, racial discrimination, and poverty, and accused the US of using its hegemonic power to continue "trampling" on the sovereignty of other countries while "posing as the world judge of human rights":For a long time, has placed itself above other countries, considered itself "world human rights police" and ignored its own serious human rights problems. It releases Country Reports on Human Rights Practices year after year to accuse other countries and takes human rights as a political instrument to interfere in other countries' internal affairs, defame other nations' image and seek its own strategic interests. This fully exposes its double standards on the human rights issue, and has inevitably drawn resolute opposition and strong denouncement from world people. At a time when the world is suffering a serious human rights disaster caused by the US subprime crisis-induced global financial crisis, the US government still ignores its own serious human rights problems but revels in accusing other countries. It is really a pity. While the US report is drawn largely from the work of rights groups and American diplomats, China's response mainly cited US media reports as evidence of its claims, along with data from non-governmental organizations and federal and state governments. The annual dueling between the US and China on human rights has lasted over a decade. In 2008 the Department of State accused the Chinese government of denying its citizens basic human rights while also urging judicial reform and improved governmental transparency. Special mention was made of violence in Tibet.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on March 12, 2010 (boomark / email).