Date: Wed, 13 Mar 2002 11:24:22 +1300
From: Margaret Trawick <trawick-AT-clear.net.nz>
Subject: "China pays back U.S. in its own coin"


China pays back U.S. in its own coin By Amit Baruah SINGAPORE March 11.
China has paid the United States back in its own coin. After being at the
receiving end of U.S. Government reports on "human rights'' for years,
Beijing today hit back with its own "Human Rights Record of the United
States in 2001''. Prepared by the State Council of the People's Republic of
China, the report is scathing of its criticism of the U.S. on the issues of
foreign policy, racism, domestic inequalities and worrying conditions for
women and children in America. China, which has been "proper'' in its
remarks towards the U.S. on foreign policy issues, said in the report: "We
urge the United States to change its ways, give up its hegemonic practice of
creating confrontation and interfering in the internal affairs of others by
exploiting the human rights issue... and do more useful things for the
progress and development of human society.''
``The United States ranks first in the world in wantonly infringing upon the
sovereignty of, and human rights in, other countries,'' the text of the
report said. Washington, it said, had built military bases all over the
world, stationing hundreds of thousands of troops in these areas. "Before
the September 11 incident, the United States had stationed its troops in
more than 140 countries. Today, the United States has expanded its so-called
security interests to almost every corner of the world.'' It referred to the
April 1, 2001, incident in which an American spy plane collided with a
Chinese fighter jet and later landed on Chinese territory.
"After the incident, the United States made all sorts of excuses to defend
itself, refusing to make a public apology for the serious consequence of its
intruding aircraft and trying to shirk its responsibilities. This aroused
great indignation and strong protests from the Chinese people.'' Pointing to
the American-led NATO forces' use of depleted uranium bombs during the
Kosovo war, the Chinese report claimed that more than 940,000 depleted
uranium bombs, weighing a total of 320 tonnes, were dropped on Iraq during
the Gulf War. Referring to the U.S. flaunting the banner of the freedom of
the press, the Chinese referred to the annual report of the International
Journalism Institute which pointed out that the U.S. approach to the media
during the Afghan war and its attempt at suppressing freedom were the "most
amazing'' in 2001.
``In the United States, close to 100 companies manufacture and export
considerable quantities of instruments of torture that are banned in
international trade... the United States has also conducted irradiation
experiments with the dead bodies of babies from overseas,'' the report said.
Washington, the report continued, had refused to sign the Basel Convention
(restricting the transfer of waste materials) and had announced its
withdrawal from the Kyoto Protocol on climate change. The document pointed
out that the U.S. had even walked out of a U.N. Conference against Racism
held in Durban in September 2001.
The behaviour of the U.S. at the conference revealed its "hypocrisy'' as the
country professed to be a "world judge'' judge of human rights, it said.
``For many years, the U.S. Government has, year after year, published
reports in human rights conditions in other countries in disregard of the
opposition of (sic) many countries in the world, cooking up charges,
twisting facts and censoring all countries except itself,'' the report
added. And, now, the Chinese have returned the compliment. Since the report
is for the year gone by, another edition can be expected next year.





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