China refutes US censure on human rights
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2004-03-26 08:37

China on Thursday refuted a United States' accusation of human rights "backsliding" in China contained in a draft resolution to the ongoing session of the United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHRC).

The US presented its resolution to the 60th session of the UNHRC on Monday.

In response to the US accusation, Ambassador Sha Zukang, head of the Chinese delegation to UNHRC said at the meeting: "It is not out of ignorance or true concern for China's human rights but because of ulterior motives that a certain country has censured China."

"No human rights situation is perfect in any country in the world. Western countries are by no means models for human rights protection and the developing countries are certainly not synonymous with human rights violations," he said.

"The submission of the anti-China draft resolution by the US after a lull of two years has been entirely prompted by the need of general elections and has nothing to do with China's human rights," he said.

Ambassador Sha told the Commission that the Chinese government attaches importance to enhancing human rights and has achieved widely-acclaimed progress in human rights during the past year.

"In March, the National People's Congress incorporated into the Constitution in an unambiguous manner the provision that 'the State respects and protects human rights', representing a major breakthrough in China's human rights development," he said.

"No-one can obliterate China's human rights achievements and no-one can block China's progress," he stressed.

The Chinese ambassador warned that attempts, like those of the United States, to "privatize" the Commission blemishes the Commission's intentions and exacerbates confrontations in the Commission.

He strongly appealed to the Commission to put a halt to acrimony and abuse and to restore the original purpose of the Commission as a forum for mutual understanding and the promotion and protection of human rights.