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US, China discuss rights amid feud over
Web firewall
AFP, WASHINGTON
Saturday, May 15, 2010, Page 1
The US and China braced for a second day of human rights talks yesterday after a
two-year hiatus, with a feud brewing over US support for efforts to crack
China¡¦s Internet firewall.
Chinese state media acknowledged the talks provided a golden opportunity for
reconciliation after months of rancor, but warned Washington not to treat
Beijing like a ¡§schoolchild.¡¨
¡§Relieving the once strained bilateral ties with the US and advancing human
rights demands concrete steps. The upcoming human rights dialogue may start a
move in that direction,¡¨ the Global Times said in a commentary.
¡§The easy temptation of teaching China like a schoolchild must be resisted.
Mutual learning is the only option that will create forward movement,¡¨ said the
English-language newspaper run by the People¡¦s Daily, the Communist Party
mouthpiece.
Senior officials on Thursday opened the two-day talks, which offer US President
Barack Obama¡¦s administration a chance to show it also cares about human rights
as it seeks a wide-ranging partnership with China on issues ranging from the
economy to North Korea¡¦s nuclear program.
US State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said the US would raise the ¡§rule
of law, religious freedom, freedom of expression, labor rights and other human
rights issues of concern ... We are fully committed to promoting human rights
everywhere, including ... China, and look forward to candid and in-depth
discussions.¡¨
Ahead of the dialogue, the first since May 2008, the US said it was considering
funding the Global Internet Freedom Consortium, software run by the Falungong
spiritual movement to circumvent Internet censorship.
China strictly bans Falun Gong, a Buddhist-inspired movement known for its
spiritual exercises, whose organizational clout has alarmed Beijing.
¡§We firmly oppose any government or organization providing support to anti-China
forces in their anti-China activities,¡¨ Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma
Zhaoxu (°¨´Â¦°) told reporters in Beijing.
The US Congress approved US$30 million in this year¡¦s budget to combat cyber
censorship in China, Iran and elsewhere.
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