The United States and China reported no major breakthroughs Friday May 14 after only their
second round of talks about human rights since 2002.
Michael Posner, the assistant secretary of state who led the U.S. side, told reporters that another
round will happen some time next year in Beijing. The countries also plan to hold legal talks
soon, and he said he will participate in a high-profile economic and security summit in Beijing
this month.
The Obama administration wants to push Beijing to treat its citizens better, but it also needs Chinese support on Iranian and North Korean nuclear standoffs, climate change and other difficult issues.
Posner said in addition to talks on freedom of religion and expression, labour rights and rule of law, officials also discussed Chinese complaints about U.S. rights, which have included crime, poverty, homelessness and racial discrimination.
Wang Baodong, spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, said the talks were "constructive and very candid." ''We believe that such dialogues can contribute to the growth of the bilateral relations," Wang said.
The United States was represented by officials from the State Department, White House, the departments of Commerce, Justice, Homeland Security, Labor, the trade representative's office and the Internal Revenue Service. The Chinese side was led by Director General for International Organizations Chen Xu and included officials from nine agencies.
The officials discussed Tibet, the Uighur ethnic group in the Chinese province of Xinjiang and specific dissidents the United States has worries about.
Todd Stein, with the International Campaign for Tibet, said political repression in China is growing. If officials want improvement in China's human rights record, he said.
The United States was represented by officials from the State Department, White House, the departments of Commerce, Justice, Homeland Security, Labor, the trade representative's office and the Internal Revenue Service. The Chinese side was led by Director General for International Organizations Chen Xu and included officials from nine agencies.
The officials discussed Tibet, the Uighur ethnic group in the Chinese province of Xinjiang and specific dissidents the United States has worries about.
Jon Huntsman, U.S. ambassador to China, told reporters earlier Friday that the rights talks are a useful way to get results on tough issues.(Source: Foster Klug, AP, metronews.ca, May 14, 20100).