Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, March 23, 2004
China indignant at US human rights move
The US decision to introduce an anti-China human rights motion at the UN human rights conference is a "severe interference in China's internal affairs", a Foreign Ministry spokesman said Tuesday.
The US decision to introduce an anti-China human rights motion at the UN human rights conference is a "severe interference in China's internal affairs", a Foreign Ministry spokesman said Tuesday.
The Chinese government and people express strong indignation at and are firmly opposed to the US move, spokesman Kong Quan said ina statement.
Kong said that the US decision was made with a motive on its domestic politics rather than care for human rights, which marked an attempt to interfere in China's internal affairs under the disguise of human rights.
Kong stressed that the US decision has politicized the human rights issue, and therefore tarnished the sacred cause of human rights. Such an unpopular attempt will be futile, he said.
"The Chinese Government has paid great attention to the promotion of human rights and earnestly implemented relevant humanrights convention it has joined," Kong said in the statement.
China has been strengthening its construction on democracy and rule of law and the its reform of the judicial system in order to improve the protection of human rights, Kong said, noting the factthat China wrote the respect and protection of human rights into its Constitution earlier this month.
Kong said China has made remarkable progress in the protection of human rights, which has won praises from the international community widely.
Recognizing that differences exist between China and the United States on the issue of human rights, Kong said such differences should be properly addressed through dialogue and exchange "on thebasis of equality and mutual respect."
"China has made unremitting efforts and showed utmost sincerityand flexibility in this regard," he said.