That was fast!
“Amnesty International is shocked and extremely disappointed by [her] comments,” the group said in statement. “The United States is one of the only countries that can meaningfully stand up to China on human rights issues. By commenting that human rights will not interfere with other priorities, Secretary Clinton damages future US initiatives to protect those rights in China.”
Human Rights Watch said progress on other issues was inseparable from progress in human rights, adding: “Freedom for the press, whistleblowers, and critics is essential to preventing environmental damage and defective products that threaten China and the world; labour rights abuses and the lack of rule of law destabilise China’s economy, which is part of a global economy; and unconditional aid to highly abusive governments destabilises international peace and security.”
Quoted from the Guardian
And yet, today there’s this from CNN.com in the USA: “In the past, Clinton has been an outspoken, staunch critic of China’s human rights stance. But officials have said privately that a new approach to dealing with China’s human rights record, including less public criticism and more private discussions, may prove more productive in changing Chinese behavior.”
You can read the whole story, titled “State Department Scolds China on Human Rights,” at:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/02/25/china.state/index.html
Lu (in Florida)