SCMP: Bush team readies rebuke on rights

Friday, February 23, 2001

The new administration of President George W. Bush is poised to unleash its first significant criticism of China's human rights record.

The release of the State Department's report on international human rights is expected to be dominated by a large China section that is likely to warn of ongoing deterioration in several key areas, particularly religious suppression, administration sources said.

The report - which will include a smaller section on Hong Kong - will be released on Monday.

Much of it was written late last year but is still being adjusted to reflect the thinking of the new Bush team.

As a result, the report will give one of the first indications of how the Bush administration intends to calibrate its China policy to juggle rights' issues and heightened concerns over Taiwan and national security - all under an engagement umbrella.

"We will be sending a firm early message to China that engagement does not mean a lowering of our standards on human rights and the report will reflect this," one administration official said.

The report's release comes ahead of a final decision to push for a formal censure of China during the annual United Nations meeting on human rights in Geneva next month.

No decision has been finalized at the White House, however, although an announcement confirming a fresh censure drive is expected shortly. China successfully opposed previous efforts during the Clinton administration.