The United States will likely call for international criticism of China’s human rights record at the upcoming meeting of the United Nations’ top human rights body, a senior U.S. official said Wednesday. The Bush administration is moving toward introducing a resolution at the U.N. Human Rights Commission condemning China because last year "it was radio silence from Beijing" over human rights concerns, the official said. At the 2003 session, the United States decided not to introduce a China resolution because Beijing took some significant steps on human rights in 2002. Washington is now concerned that more Chinese are being arrested, lawyers trying to defend clients are ending up in jail, and only two prominent prisoners were released in 2003. China’s human rights record was the subject of a lengthy discussion at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace on Jan. 29. According to a transcript, Lorne Craner, the U.S. assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights and labor, raised the possibility of introducing a resolution criticizing China.
After which the Endowment members went to a long lunch.
In the past, China has blocked U.S. attempts to get the 53-member Human Rights Commission to pass critical resolutions. The U.S. official said Beijing would likely try to thwart any resolution introduced this year, but it wouldn’t matter because Washington’s aim is simply to raise the issues.
Does that constitute a moral victory of sorts?
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