NEWS: China Scores USA "D" on Human Rights !?

In what many would call a case of the pot calling the kettle black, China has responded to an annual US review of human rights in other countries with its own cutting assessment of policy and practice in the USA. It takes a broad look at Life, Liberty and Security of Person; Political Rights and Freedom; Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; Racial Discrimination; The Rights of Women and Children; The Human Rights of Foreign Nationals. When you read the report, beyond the initial gut reaction of "what right does China have to cricticize any nation on its human rights record", you can see the substance of things that American citizens ought to be concerned about.





Well, did China get anything wrong?

The kneejerk reaction may be to tell China where to stick its human rights assessment... but the factors that it picks up on, not levelling responsibility on the Bush administration or anywhere else, warrant some examination. Which of them are true, which are exaggerated, which are pure propaganda and sensationalism?

Here's one you would expect to see, but just how far will American people be willing to see their rights restricted for amorphous reasons of 'national security': After the Sept. 11 incident, the United States openly restricts the rights of citizens under the cloak of homeland security, and uses diverse means including wire tapping of phone conversations and secret investigations, checks on all secret files, and monitoring transfers of fund and cash flows to supervise activities of its citizens, in which, people of ethnic minority groups, foreigners and immigrants become main victims.

The English language version of China's "report card" is below.

Related News Links:
english.people.com.cn



(Edit to remove lengthy paste from source material.)

[edit on 28-3-2005 by SkepticOverlord]

This (below) looks like the original State Department report on China to which China responded.

This can be paired with the Chinese angle on US human rights to give us a two-way street (or back alley of human rights abuses as the case may be):

China (includes Tibet, Hong Kong, and Macau)
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2004
Released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (U.S.)
February 28, 2005

www.state.gov...

The People's Republic of China (PRC) is an authoritarian state in which, as specified in its Constitution, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP or Party) is the paramount source of power. Party members hold almost all top government, police, and military positions. Ultimate authority rests with the 24-member political bureau (Politburo) of the CCP and its 9-member standing committee. Leaders made a top priority of maintaining stability and social order and were committed to perpetuating the rule of the CCP. Citizens lacked the freedom to express opposition to the Party-led political system and the right to change their national leaders or form of government. Socialism continued to provide the theoretical underpinning of national politics, but Marxist economic planning has given way to pragmatism, and economic decentralization has increased the authority of local officials. The Party's authority rested primarily on the Government's ability to maintain social stability; appeals to nationalism and patriotism; Party control of personnel, media, and the security apparatus; and continued improvement in the living standards of most of the country's 1.3 billion citizens. The Constitution provides for an independent judiciary; however, in practice, the Government and the CCP, at both the central and local levels, frequently interfered in the judicial process and directed verdicts in many cases.

The security apparatus is made up of the Ministries of State Security and Public Security, the People's Armed Police, the People's Liberation Army (PLA), and the state judicial, procuratorial, and penal systems. Civilian authorities generally maintained effective control of the security forces. Security policy and personnel were responsible for numerous human rights abuses. etc etc etc...





[edit on 28-3-2005 by MaskedAvatar]

What China said is a load. If they give the US a "D" I would give them something down in the "G" range. They really have no right to say anything about anyone. Until they earn that right the Chinese government should just shut its trap.

OK, that's a fantastic demonstration of a kneejerk, now what about the substance of the human rights conditions detailed at length in both the US and the Chinese reports?

If it's so bad in the US why don't they let the Chinese people decide whether they'd rather live in the US or China. And to Americans who think our rights are so restricted...would you rather live in China? Think about it...

I am Chinese born in Vietnam(Saigon) and have been Americanized citizen for over 15 years. Regarding wether I rather live here in the USA, or in China, I rather live in the USA. I love this country.

Originally posted by 954speeder
I am Chinese born in Vietnam(Saigon) and have been Americanized citizen for over 15 years. Regarding wether I rather live here in the USA, or in China, I rather live in the USA. I love this country.

Yeah, the USA is great when live there and are lucky enough to afford higher education. However if you live in one of the exploited vassal countries (thailand, vietnam, iraq) i'd say life isnt really that funny. If you want to compare China with imperialist america, rather ask the chinese if they'd prefer to live in thailand as american prostitutes, that would paint a more realistic image.

I think most americans would prefer a humble but worthwile life in China rather than facing the reality of their country's wealth (slave labor in vassal countries).

This is typical reactionary rhetoric on behalf of the CCP. It's the traditional Chinese way of arguing and maintaining face, simultaneously facing up to insult while falling short of escalating the situation. A typical argument between two Chinese men:

Chinese Dude A: You're a son of a goat.
Chinese Dude B: YOU'RE a son of a goat.
Chinese Dude A: No, YOU'RE a son of a goat.
Chinese Dude B: Well, you're a son of a FAT goat.
Chinese Dude A: No, YOU'RE a son of a fat goat.
...etc, etc, repeat until one or the other dies.

As childish as the CCP's rebuttal may be, it does highlight one thing, and that is glaring hypocrisy on both sides of the fence, as exhibited by almost every government on the face of the Earth. I'm curious as to whether the lack of replies, uncommon for such an overtly anti-US diatribe, is caused by unperturbed dismissal, or by sober self-assessment.

while china's report is a case of the pot calling the kettle black, is there some facts with what it has to say? just because china is nowhere near the most humain rights oriented society why should that lessen what they have to say?

yes china is very obviously useing this as propaganda to show that their autoritarian government is better. just the fact that they use so many crime statistics points this out clearly. yet the fact of the statistics should speak for themselves. they don't seem that overblown to me. why is the crime rate so high? they also point to the statistics of those who have been sent to jail and later been exonerated. this points doubt to the effectiveness of the judicial systom. again great propiganda but if true is trubbleing. so is the treatment of inmates, both by gaurds and other inmates. i have no trubble in believing that 21% of inmates are sexualy abused (i expected this to be higher myself).

there is much in this "report card" that rings true. why bother to argue that china is worse. that does not lessen the fact that there is a lot that should be done. after all why give away free ammo to be used against oneself. the very fact that i see look at china as a rebuttle is stupid even childish. just because a math teacher would be lost without his textbook does not mean a student who got a "d" deserves better.

from what i have read in the report the states is indeed deserving of the bad grade. especialy since after 9-11 rights are being "fiddled" with in regaurds to person vs society. we have all seen in many threads the fact that the government is useing fear to errode rights. all the while pointing at the need due to "possible" intent of terrorist activities to support the need to tap phones, lock people up without propper proof or charges and just plane look into the personall affairs of people.

in short yes the us needs to staighten up and fly right. the fact that china does too does not nullify this. perhaps if both countries just paid attention to the report cards on each other many people would find peace and security for all.

Originally posted by jetsetter
What China said is a load. If they give the US a "D" I would give them something down in the "G" range. They really have no right to say anything about anyone. Until they earn that right the Chinese government should just shut its trap.

But the USA does? Talk about ignornat. Double Standars. Hypocracy. I wanna hurl................

America is great!!!! China better watch what she is saying........it has no right to make any studies of it's own.......we have a great human rights record because I don't feel the least bit harrassed!!!

Here's a link....

Here is an interesting thread...........

Ugh.....I can't believe I said America was great.........

You're joking right?

Originally posted by 00PS
You're joking right?

Yes.........note the general/universal statement based on personal experience that ended the first paragraph.......'twould be a logical fallacy, I believe.....

The link is still a good read, however, because it gives a decent look at an aspect of China's human rights practices....I recommend disregarding Seekerof's attempts to compare China with the U.S.

For the record, I believe comparing China with America is absurd......we may find abhorrencies due to the difference in cultures, but keep in mind alot of it is propoganda and realistically, it is a good long term experiment to see which system works best in maintaining a functional society.....

[edit on 29-3-2005 by MemoryShock]

A "D", I would say that sounds correct. China is not comparing us with them, no where in the report do they say they are better than us, but the report does state facts from our own census buruea and goverment. How many times a day can you watch tv and see some charity ad with some child standing in garbage in another country. Has anyone ever looked in there back yard and seen the poverty in our great nation. Has anyone been to the projects in the city they live and seen the crime, and just look at our prisons all full to the max. Come on people just open your eyes and see what is happening in our own back yard. Poverty, crime, gov control, racism (from both sides), and of course murder. What do we do to say we are taking care of this, we create more paperwork, this is not the answer. look at are schools children have to be searched why? What happened to the U.S.A of the old days? I hope this report does something to help our nation, we need it sincerely a fourth generation american.

Originally posted by ncbrian211
A "D", I would say that sounds correct. China is not comparing us with them, no where in the report do they say they are better than us, but the report does state facts from our own census buruea and goverment. How many times a day can you watch tv and see some charity ad with some child standing in garbage in another country. Has anyone ever looked in there back yard and seen the poverty in our great nation. Has anyone been to the projects in the city they live and seen the crime, and just look at our prisons all full to the max. Come on people just open your eyes and see what is happening in our own back yard. Poverty, crime, gov control, racism (from both sides), and of course murder. What do we do to say we are taking care of this, we create more paperwork, this is not the answer. look at are schools children have to be searched why? What happened to the U.S.A of the old days? I hope this report does something to help our nation, we need it sincerely a fourth generation american.

nicely put you just got a way aove from me.

i wish i could have said it that simply. yes we are compareing apples and oranges. where china and the us are concerned.it still does not invalidate what the chinees have said about the us. nether does it invalidat china's problems.

lol i also agree 100% about those guilt trip comercials i have been whineing on them for years. but it is far easyer to help those who are far away who can't help but be born poor, then to realize we have our own poor that have been born to it. after all if they would just try harder they would be ok. the sad truth is the statement "it takes money to make money" is far too true.companies are makeing record proffits while their employees practicaly starve. the price of transportation is crippling. it is a sad fact that it takes almost a whole full time paychck just to have a place to live. forgett food bills and transportation to work. thats why many people i know work 2 and 3 jobs at a time. just to try to get a little bit ahead. just as another saying states "the rich get richer while the poor get poorer". yes but keep in mind that it is because the poor are to lazy to better themselves that they are poor. one reason that northamerica has the crime rates they do is after seeing family get nowhere while working themseves sick. why not try to get ahead by any means nessisary. sure drugs are bad but it is proffitalbe it dosn't need an education. why not rob people after all they have more than they need to survive. this is how many see their situation, truth is hard work dosn't always pay off so why not.

There was a thread about this on the 3/3/05

NEWS: China Fires Back at U.S. Rights Criticisms

The point is that China has about as much right to criticise America's human rights record as America has on China. They are both serial gross human rights offenders and they both try to hide the fact.

As much as Americans try and push their heads further and further into the sand about it, America violates human rights on a daily basis.

If America wanted to defuse the situation and send a mortal volley back at the Chinese it should acknowledge the obvious human rights abuses carried out in America with the aim of RECTIFYING THEM ALL. This is something China will never do and will firmly put the onus on China.

But its all a dream, America will never admit to its own human rights abuses.