CHINA: Rice raises human rights issues
Meeting provides opportunity to raise case of journalist Zhao Yan and rights activists

South China Morning Post

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice pressed China on its human rights record yesterday, but Beijing countered it had its own problems with the United States.

With Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing at her side, Dr Rice said she had brought up several human rights issues during their meeting, whose main aim was to discuss North Korea and Iran's nuclear programmes.

She did not provide specific details, but a prominent case is that of New York Times journalist Zhao Yan, who was sentenced in August to three years in prison on fraud charges.

The US also has been pressing for the release of Boston-based democracy campaigner Yang Jianli , who was arrested in 2002 after illegally entering China.

"We talked about human rights issues and the importance of several cases," Dr Rice said.

The top US diplomat said the cases she raised and other human rights issues would be discussed in further meetings.

China sees US criticism of its human rights record as an attempt to interfere in its domestic affairs. While it has given its people greater economic and political freedoms in recent years, it has also clamped down on critics.

Mr Li, who did not allow any questions at the news conference, countered he had raised his own list of human rights issues with the US.

"I also gave her a list of two cases involving two Chinese citizens," he said. "China is ready to continue its dialogue with the US on the question of human rights."

--------------------------
Source: "South China Morning Post".