Moving beyond confrontation

Human rights are always a sensitive issue in Sino-US relations and the latest Sino-US Human Rights Dialogue that began on Wednesday is likely to demonstrate this once again.

With the dialogue resuming after a period of interruption and the ups and downs that have characterized recent Sino-US relations, it is important to review the contact and communication between the two powers on human rights.

The Sino-US Human Rights Dialogue began in 1990, when the then US assistant secretary of state for human rights and humanitarian affairs, Richard Schifter, visited China in December.

However, in March 2004, the US insisted on submitting an anti-China proposal at the 60th UN Human Rights Conference, which interrupted the Sino-US Human Rights Dialogue until May 2008, when the 14th Sino-US Human Rights Dialogue was held in Beijing. After that, the scheduled dialogue for 2010 remained on the table because of the frictions between China and the United States over issues such as trade, the US' arms sales to Taiwan and the Dalai Lama's visit to the US.

In the past 20 years, from the start of first Sino-US Human Rights Dialogue till now, China's economic development and social progress have drawn worldwide admiration. During these two decades, China has made considerable progress in democracy and rule by law.

Respecting and guaranteeing human rights are basic principles of the Constitution, a core value of the State's legal framework, which were enshrined in 2004, when China adopted an amendment to the Constitution "respecting and guaranteeing human rights".

Although China still faces tough challenges in improving rule by law and law enforcement, China's human rights already have a solid foundation. As of this year, the socialist system of laws with Chinese characteristics consists of more than 230 laws, more than 690 administrative regulations and more than 8,600 local regulations and rules.

The Chinese authorities adhere to the principle of "people-oriented" governance and strive for "inclusive development" that will improve the livelihoods of all citizens and create a harmonious society.

However, the United States continually seeks to politicize human rights for its own ends. It not only adopts double standards on human rights issues, but also intentionally demonizes other countries over alleged human rights abuses.

Under the veil of human rights, humanitarianism and anti-terrorism, the US has engaged in military operations against a series of sovereign countries, during which it has committed repeated human rights abuses.

In 2006, the UN General Assembly decided to set up the Human Rights Council to promote and protect fundamental rights, and deal with major human rights offenders, as a replacement for the Commission on Human Rights, which had come under fire for excessive politicization.

China is an original and successfully re-elected member of the UN Human Rights Council, which has become the main channel for human rights communication and cooperation in the international community.

The US was one of only four countries that voted against the creation of a new UN human rights body, and refused to participate in the council until 2009, when the Obama Administration began to cooperate with the UN and agreed to talk and promote human rights under the framework of the UN. Joining the council and restarting the Sino-US Human Rights Dialogue shows the Obama Administration is more open than the former Bush administration, and there is cautious optimism that Chinese and the US governments will engage in constructive dialogue that will help promote substantive cooperation.

But some US politicians have set themselves up as "human rights police" and see the exploitation of human rights issues as an essential part of the US' soft power. It will take time to overcome this politicizing of human rights and their ideological prejudices.

We hope that the current Sino-US Human Rights Dialogue conforms to the world trend and helps create a better environment for the global protection and promotion of universal human rights and fundamental freedoms.

The author is the secretary-general of Human Rights Research Center under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

(China Daily 04/28/2011 page8)