China slams US human rights record in report

HEAVYWEIGHT GATHERING: From left, State Councillor of China Yang Jiechi, Vice-Premier of China Wang Yang, US Secretary of State John Kerry and US Treasury Secretary Jack Lew at the closing session of the US-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue held at the State Department in Washington DC this week. The annual event is a bilateral forum for the two superpowers where China and the US discuss a broad range of issues, especially in the area of trade and the global economy Picture: EPA
HEAVYWEIGHT GATHERING: From left, State Councillor of China Yang Jiechi, Vice-Premier of China Wang Yang, US Secretary of State John Kerry and US Treasury Secretary Jack Lew at the closing session of the US-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue held at the State Department in Washington DC this week. The annual event is a bilateral forum for the two superpowers where China and the US discuss a broad range of issues, especially in the area of trade and the global economy Picture: EPA
China yesterday accused the US of having   a “terrible human rights record”, denouncing police brutality in the country  and its global surveillance a day after Washington criticised Beijing’s own performance.

In a report sourced mainly from US media, China said the US was “haunted by spreading guns, frequent occurrence of violent crimes, the excessive use of force by police”.

It said that US intelligence had used “indiscriminate” torture against terrorist suspects, while “violating human rights in other countries” with drone strikes and mass surveillance programmes.

The document is released each year by China the day after the US State Department issues its annual global human rights report. Beijing does not release rights reports on other countries.

Unlike China, the US is a multiparty democracy but the report declared: “Money is a deciding factor in  US politics, and  US citizens’ political rights were not properly protected.”

China’s  state-run media said in December that torture by Chinese police to extract confessions is “not rare”, in an unusual admission. Yesterday’s  document, released by China’s State Council, or cabinet, largely cited US domestic media websites, including the New York Times, which is blocked by Beijing as part of its internet censorship regime.

China said the US justice system suffered from “serious racial bias”, highlighting police killings of several unarmed black men, which sparked protests over the past year.

The US had “grim problems of racial discrimination, and institutional discrimination against ethnic minorities continued”, it added.

Washington’s own report on Thursday said that in China “repression and coercion were routine, particularly against organisations and individuals involved in civil and political rights advocacy”. It also noted Beijing’s continued repression of ethnic Uighurs and Tibetans.

The US report also highlighted limitations on press freedom and violence against the media in Hong Kong, after attacks on some leading journalists and executives.

China often says that its rapid economic development  has led to a greater respect for human rights.  — AFP

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