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China jails veteran
dissident just days before Xi¡¦s US trip
Reuters and AFP, Beijing and Washington
A Chinese court yesterday sentenced a veteran dissident to seven years in jail,
his son said, in the latest blow to challengers of the Chinese Communist Party¡¦s
(CCP) rule.
This came just a day after US Vice President Joe Biden called for China to
address a ¡§deterioration¡¨ of its human rights record as he met activists ahead
of a key visit by his Chinese counterpart.
Biden ¡X the host for next week¡¦s visit by Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping
(²ßªñ¥), who is widely tipped to be China¡¦s next president ¡X met on Wednesday with
four advocates for human rights.
In the meeting, Biden and the activists ¡§discussed the deterioration of China¡¦s
human rights situation, prospects for reform and recommendations for US policy,¡¨
a White House statement said.
¡§The vice president underscored the administration¡¦s belief in the universality
of human rights and its commitment to human rights as a fundamental part of our
foreign policy,¡¨ it said.
¡§He reiterated his view that greater openness and protection of universal rights
is the best way to promote innovation, prosperity and stability in all
countries, including China,¡¨ it said.
The White House said Biden met Li Xiaorong (§õ¾å»T), a founding member of the group
Human Rights in China; Benjamin Liebman, a Columbia University expert on China¡¦s
legal system; Zha Jianying, an expert on Chinese media and pop culture, and
Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch.
In China, Zhu Yufu (¦¶¸·¤Ò) was jailed for ¡§inciting subversion of state power¡¨ by
a court in Hangzhou, a city in eastern China, after a trial hearing on Jan. 31
when prosecutors cited a poem and messages he sent on the Internet, his son Zhu
Ang (¦¶©ù) said by telephone.
¡§The court verdict said this was a serious crime that deserved stern
punishment,¡¨ said Zhu Ang, 31, who was allowed to attend the hearing with his
mother.
¡§Now my mother is terribly upset, even if we saw this coming,¡¨ Zhu Ang said.
He said the verdict cited his father¡¦s online calls for mobilization in the name
of democracy.
¡§Basically, the only chance that my father had to say anything was when he was
being taken out after the hearing, and he stopped and said: ¡¥I want to appeal.¡¦¡¨
Xi, who is nearly certain to succeed Chinese President Hu Jintao (JÀAÀÜ) as CCP
leader later this year and as state president early next year, leaves for
Washington on Monday.
Xi is likely to face US criticism over China¡¦s clampdown in restive Tibetan
areas after a series of self-immolation protests.
At a briefing about Xi¡¦s trip, Chinese Vice Deputy Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai
(±Z¤Ñ³Í) indicated his government would not welcome being publicly criticized by
the administration of US President Barack Obama over rights.
¡§The problem now is that internationally there are some people who always grab
hold of the human-rights banner when they want to speak ill of China,¡¨ Cui said.
¡§I think that this is abusing the notion of human rights.¡¨
The sentencing of Zhu, who turns 59 this month, followed the jailing of two
other Chinese dissidents in December on subversion charges.
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