China hits back with report on U.S. human rights record

[ReindeerThistle]

Okay, now's your chance to let me really have it.

In response to the preposterous claims the US foists upon the world with its country by county report on "humna rights records," China once again liss out -- with complee sources, it's assessment of US Recordd on Human Rights

As reported in Xinhua, English Edition April 21, 2013:

China hits back with report on U.S. human rights record

BEIJING, April 21 (Xinhua) -- China on Sunday retorted the U.S. criticism and distortions of its human rights situation by publishing a report of the U.S. human rights record.

The Human Rights Record of the United States in 2012 was released by the Information Office of China's State Council, or the Cabinet, in response to the Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2012 issued by the U.S. State Department.

China in the report argued that there are serious human rights problems in the U.S. which incur extensive criticism in the world, as it has posed as "the world judge of human rights" again.

"As in previous years, the reports are full of carping and irresponsible remarks on the human rights situation in more than 190 countries and regions including China," China said in its report. "However, the U.S. turned a blind eye to its own woeful human rights situation and never said a word about it."

CLOSER SURVEILLANCE OF CITIZENS

U.S. citizens' civil and political rights were further restricted by the government, the report says.

The U.S. government continues to step up surveillance of ordinary citizens, restricting and reducing the freedom of the U.S. society to a considerable extent, and seriously violating the freedom of citizens, according to the report.

The U.S. congress approved a bill in 2012 that authorized the government to conduct warrantless wiretapping and electronic communications monitoring, a move that violated people's rights to privacy.

According to documents released by the American Civil Liberties Union in last September, federal law enforcement agencies are increasingly monitoring American's electronic communications.

The National Security Agency collects purely domestic communications of Americans in a "significant and systematic" way, intercepting and storing 1.7 billion emails, phone calls and other types of communications every day, the report says.

Also, the police often abused their power, resulting in increasing complaints and charges for infringement upon civil rights, the report said.

The proportion of women in the victims of domestic violence and sexual assault kept increasing in the U.S., it adds.

Comments, people. Please read the Chinese report before you fly off the handle -- they cite th US government's own statistics -- and it you want to challenge those, then co e up with some of your own.

As a someone devoted full time to improving the lives of the poorest and least powerful in US society, I applaud China for putting the spotlight on the US. If the US can't handle a little constructive criticism, then what kind of example can we set for the rest of the world.

 

[Bugfatty300]

Don't see anything that we haven't discussed here before. What is there to say about this typical kind of low level tit-for-tat squabbling?

 

[Goodfella]

I agree with Bugfatty. Basically, China's human rights record is crap and we all know it but the US's human rights record needs some improvement, especially in regards to terror suspects. What else?

 

[sophie]

Uhh....burn?

 

[ReindeerThistle]

Well, it's not a tit-for-tat, China's human rights record is not crap, that is why they did not even respond to the US, report, since the US is accusing 190 countries of human rights abuses -- how is that even credible.

China is pointing to the big picture -- and is essentially calling on the US to practice what it preaches.

Edit: Owen, what are you doing on this forum at this time of night on a Saturday? When I went to UCSC, I would stay up straight from Friday 5pm to Sunday midnight (then I'd have to work) -- party, party party (not to menion the occasional naked bonfire).

 

[civ_king]

American Presidents these days can seriously breach US law including constitutional law these days, but they are hesitant to be seen doing so against US citizens however they are fine with doing so.

 

[Ajidica]

So China decides to create a report condemning the US for things prominent civil rights groups already condemn?
Color me unimpressed.

 

[emzie]

The U.S. government continues to step up surveillance of ordinary citizens, restricting and reducing the freedom of the U.S. society to a considerable extent, and seriously violating the freedom of citizens, according to the report.

The U.S. congress approved a bill in 2012 that authorized the government to conduct warrantless wiretapping and electronic communications monitoring, a move that violated people's rights to privacy.

And you are lynching Negroes!

 

[Bugfatty300]

Well, it's not a tit-for-tat

It is tit-for-tat. It happens all the time; the US criticizes China for it's human rights situation and China responds by criticizing the US for it's human rights situation and so on.

China is pointing to the big picture -- and is essentially calling on the US to practice what it preaches.

Which just echos what tons of other governments, organizations, individuals etc have been saying for years now. Countries and organizations that have much firmer moral ground to stand on when lecturing others about human rights than China.

So why is China so special here?

 

[ReindeerThistle]

So why is China so special here?

Well, China is waaaay ahead of nations in meeting the The UN Millennium Development goals

MDGs in China

As the largest developing country, China sees achievement of overall economic and social development and improvement of the quality of people’s lives as its top priority. China has its own sets of sustainable development goals, represented by the national vision of establishing “Xiao Kang,” an all-round, harmonious society, by 2020. There is a rare similarity between the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and Xiaokang, as both envision a “people’s agenda”, and focus on the kind of development that makes a visible, measurable difference in the lives of people.

Generally speaking, China has made enormous progress towards the achievement of its MDGs. Since 1990, poverty, especially absolute poverty in rural areas, has been greatly reduced. China has now achieved the target of halving the number of poor people from the 1990 figure of 85 million. Current national poverty reduction efforts target both absolute and relative populations. Some of the MDG targets such as primary education have already been achieved 13 years ahead of schedule. The mortality rate of children under five dropped from 61 per 1,000 births in 1991 to 17.2 in 2009. The maternal mortality ratio has dropped from 80 per 100,000 live births in 1991 to 31.9 in 2009. The Government of China supports international development cooperation as a means of narrowing the gap between North and South. The Government supports maintaining and improving the multilateral trade system to create a favorable trade environment for developing countries.
....
China has recently stepped up its efforts to raise public awareness and to improve treatment and care, and support people living with HIV/AIDS. In 2007, the central government provided RMB 940 million in funding, increasing it to RMB 1.07 billion in 2008 and RMB 1.22 billion in 2009. Local governments have also boosted their funding. However, the AIDS epidemic is becoming increasingly complex, with serious epidemics in some regions and among some populations, so greater efforts will be required for China to be on track for halting and reversing the spread of HIV/AIDS by 2015.

Name me one other nation who's done all that. This is what the US government calls "human rigts abuses."

 

[Mouthwash]

I don't actually see anything wrong with what China is doing. It's the Deng Xiaoping's Machiavellian legacy- countries do not limit free speech just for the heck of it, they limit or block it because they need to. If China opened up the internet and allowed free protests to take place, the government would likely fall within a week.

 

[Dachs]

since the US is accusing 190 countries of human rights abuses -- how is that even credible.

It's about as credible as accusing a structure that defines the interpersonal relationships of virtually the entire world of being fundamentally flawed and abusive, self-proclaimed "Red".

 

[Masada]

Well, China is waaaay ahead of nations in meeting the The UN Millennium Development goals

Those aren't the same thing as humans rights. By that logic I could call Suharto's New Order like the greatest thing ever.

 

[Borachio]

As a someone devoted full time to improving the lives of the poorest and least powerful in US society, I applaud China for putting the spotlight on the US. If the US can't handle a little constructive criticism, then what kind of example can we set for the rest of the world.

I applaud you for this. I had you down as a do-nothing political pampleteering type. I revise my opinion.

 

[Quackers]

Whilst America doesn't have a flawless human rights record it is a proper democracy with a independent juridiary, a free and free press, guarantees "inalienable" rights for its citizens and has a fine record of defending free peoples from the tyranny of the Soviet Union, Nazi Germany and now North Korea.

So, a report from China of all places criticising the US makes me gag a little.

 

[Leoreth]

Well, I welcome constructive criticism no matter the source.

But the attempt to deflect from its own abysmal human rights record is pretty transparent. And I'm surprised the OP is so quick to the defense of a country where capitalist exploitation runs rampant. But the ruling party has communist in its name so I guess all is fine.

 

[Mouthwash]

Well, I welcome constructive criticism no matter the source.

But the attempt to deflect from its own abysmal human rights record is pretty transparent. And I'm surprised the OP is so quick to the defense of a country where capitalist exploitation runs rampant. But the ruling party has communist in its name so I guess all is fine.

No, no, see, they have a communist government.

 

[Leoreth]

Yes, it's all about the labels.

 

[Mouthwash]

Yes, it's all about the labels.

Just like our fellow Reds, the brave North Koreans (who, interestingly enough, have also adopted market style systems to keep their economy from totally going under).

 

[Tahuti]

It's funny how the Chinese human rights reports addresses issues that have nothing to do with the US government itself, including school shootings, as if the US government did it itself. While I won't doubt the US itself has come with numerous reports mentioning Chinese human trafficking that all have nothing to do with the PRC government, human rights reports about countries shouldn't mention actions that are not in any way directly connected to the state.