Click to read original article from The Associated Press
By CHRISTOPHER BODEEN (AP)
BEIJING — China accused the United States of destabilizing the world economy and meddling in other countries' affairs Friday — its standard response to Washington's annual review of Beijing's human rights record.
The U.S. State Department report issued Thursday accused Beijing of abusing its citizens' rights and maintaining currency policies that cost millions of U.S. jobs.
In response, China's State Council, or Cabinet, accused Washington of using human rights as a "political instrument" to defame other countries and took aim at the United States' contribution in fomenting the global financial crisis.
"At a time when the world is suffering a serious human rights disaster caused by the U.S. subprime crisis-induced global financial crisis, the U.S. government still ignores its own serious human rights problems but revels in accusing other countries. It is really a pity," said a report issued by the council's information office.
The Chinese response touched on America's gun crime and prison population and alleged rising problems with crime, poverty, homelessness and "chronic" racial discrimination. It called U.S. college campuses unsafe and said spying on U.S. citizens by their government had reached unprecedented levels.
The nearly 10,000-word report accused Washington of using both military force and cultural and economic infiltration to dominate global affairs and interfere, singling out civilian casualties in Afghanistan and Iraq.
"The United States with its strong military power has pursued hegemony in the world, trampling upon the sovereignty of other countries and trespassing their human rights," the report said.
"The United States monopolizes the strategic resources of the global Internet, and has been retaining a tight grip over the Internet ever since its first appearance," it added.
The report repeated a recent accusation that U.S. calls for China and other nations to lift tight controls on Internet content were merely part of a campaign to establish U.S. cultural domination. The claim first surfaced earlier this year amid a dispute with Google Inc. over censorship and hacking accusations.
As is routine, it offered sweeping statements that often mirrored charges in the U.S. report.
"In the United States, civil and political rights of citizens are severely restricted and violated by the government," read one statement. "Workers' rights were seriously violated," said another.
While the U.S. report is drawn largely from the work of rights groups and American diplomats, China's response mainly cited U.S. media reports as evidence of its claims, along with data from non-governmental organizations and federal and state governments.
China's Communist Party propaganda bosses exercise strict control over the entirely state-owned media and allow little reporting on rights abuses and other sensitive topics. The one-party state also permits no independent rights monitoring groups and its own reports on the domestic human rights situation are typically glowing, focussing on the growing economy and numbers lifted out of poverty.
The pattern of the dueling reports has lasted 11 years, although this year's follows a period of heightened friction over issues including Taiwan, Tibet and trade. The administration of President Barack Obama seems increasingly willing to confront China, after a year in which a lighter approach to Beijing yielded few gains.
As in past years, China's report accused Washington of criticizing others while turning a blind eye to its own problems, ignoring the numerous reviews of domestic rights issued by the administration and Congress, as well as the work of organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union.
Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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JMC Ministries Response
The fact that China is the largest Communist Country in the world make me wonder how they can criticize the U.S on Human Rights? When there are constantly stories of Christians being imprisoned and even killed for have church in secret because it is illegal to worship God in a church or building NOT supported by the Chinese Government.
The only allow their people to see and here what they want them too on the TV and Radio and even the internet. They then say the U.S needs to stop meddling in other countries affairs. Even though millions of people are being oppressed from freedoms that we in America are given and allow people to live a better, free, and happy life.
We as Christians must not forget the persecuted Christians and churches on other Countries around the world who do not have these freedoms as we do here in the U.S and who daily live in fear of being discovered that they have a bible and are having underground church meetings which could lead to imprisonment or even death for their faith. We must NOT forget them.
