Human rights stays prominent in US-China relations (News Feature)

By Mike McCarthy Jan 19, 2011, 22:21 GMT

Washington - Despite the attention given to economic policy and the tension on the Korean peninsula ahead of Chinese President Hu Jintao's state visit to Washington, the more longstanding and sensitive dispute on human rights lingered over Hu's talks with President Barack Obama.

The two leaders publicly aired their differences over human rights during Hu's state visit at the White House Wednesday even as the Chinese leader acknowledged his country needed to do more to promote civil rights.

Since establishing relations in 1979, the United States has continuously pressed Beijing to allow greater political and religious freedom, and the issue has frequently been the focus of frayed relations between the two powers.

After Obama took office two years ago, US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton declared that while human rights will remain on the agenda, the Obama administration will not allow it to block cooperation on important economic and international security issues.

Clinton's remarks in February 2009 drew some criticism from civil rights groups who saw them as undermining efforts to force reform in China. But they also came at a time when the global economic crisis was in full swing and the United States needed China's involvement in finding solutions. At the same time, the United States pressed China to free political prisoners, including Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo, who was not allowed to visit the December prize ceremony in Oslo.

As Obama and Hu sat down for talks on a wide ranging agenda that included contentious issues like economic, monetary and trade policy, as well as ending North Korea's recent military blustering, China's human rights record inevitably came up.

'We have some core views as Americans about the universality of certain rights - freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of assembly - that we think are very important and that transcend cultures,' Obama said when the issue was raised by a reporter at the press conference with Hu.

'I have been very candid with President Hu about these issues,' Obama said, adding that he will 'focus on those areas where we agree while acknowledging there are going to be areas where we disagree.'

Hu initially did not address the issue, saying through an interpreter that he believed the question was directed at Obama and there were technical problems with the translation. He then proceeded to discuss the dispute at length. China has made 'enormous progress' on human rights but more effort should must be undertaken, Hu said.

'In this context, China still faces many challenges in economic and social development, and a lot still needs to be done in China in terms of human rights,' he said.

But Hu also said any dialogue must be accompanied by 'mutual respect' and take into account the 'different national circumstances when it comes to the universal value of human rights.'

'Though there are disagreements between China and United States on the issue of human rights, China is willing to engage in dialogue and exchanges with the United States on the basis of mutual respect and the principle of non-interference in each other's internal affairs,' he said.

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