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US, China to Begin
Talks on Resuming Human Rights Dialogue
International Campaign for Tibet[Tuesday, October 26,
2004 10:31]
US Secretary of State Colin Powell said on October 25,
2004 that China has agreed to begin talks on resuming
its human rights dialogue with the United States.
Powell was addressing the media in Beijing following
his meetings with Chinese leaders, including President
Hu Jintao.
 Powell
said he had "a good, open, and candid discussion" with
Chinese leaders. He said, "with respect to human
rights, for example, and I am pleased to report that
as a result of our conversations today that we have
agreed that we will start talks about resuming our
human rights dialogue."
China suspended the bilateral human rights dialogue
with the United States in March 2004 after the US
decided introduce a resolution against China at the UN
Commission on Human Rights. The United States had said
on March 22, 2004 that it was introducing a resolution
against China because "The United States has been
disappointed by China’s failure to meet the
commitments made at the U.S.-China Human Rights
Dialogue in December 2002 as well as its failure to
follow through on its stated intention to expand
cooperation on human rights in 2003. We are also
concerned about backsliding on key human rights issues
that has occurred in a variety of areas since that
time."
A draft resolution subsequently introduced on April 8,
2004 expressed "concern about continuing reports of
severe restrictions on freedom of assembly,
association, expression, conscience and religion,
legal processes that continue to fall short of
international norms of due process and transparency,
and, arrests and other severe sentences for those
seeking to exercise their fundamental rights,
including those in Tibet and Xinjiang."
Commenting the US-China relations, Powell said in
Beijing on October 25, 2004, “The range and scope of
the issues we discussed today reflect the increasingly
global nature of interaction between China and the
United States, on a whole host of issues of importance
to our nations and to the world, from security threats
to bilateral matters. We are showing that we can move
forward together. When we disagree, we do so candidly,
openly, and in the spirit of trying to find a solution
to the disagreements. But, we agreed in so many more
areas than that in which we disagree."
Secretary Powell was in China as part of his tour of
Japan, China, and South Korea to discuss "bilateral
matters, regional security and stability, and issues
such as the global war on terrorism, Iraq, North Korea
and the Six Party Talks." He returns to Washington,
D.C. on October 26, 2004
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