Hong Kong iMail(Editorial): Rights and wrongs

28 February 2001 / 01:33 AM

THE world's attention is firmly back on the mainland's human-rights record this week, with the publication of the US State Department's annual human-rights report and the visit to Beijing of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson.

The US report brings no surprises. "The government's poor human-rights record worsened, and it continued to commit numerous serious abuses," the report states.

But it is interesting to note the comparison the report draws between what China's constitution proclaims and what is happening in practice.

The constitution provides, for example, for freedom of peaceful assembly, and yet in practice the government severely restricts this right, cracking down - often brutally - on the Falun Gong, workers, and pro-democracy protesters. The constitution protects religious freedom, and yet in practice the Central Government vigorously controls religion, punishing unregistered Protestants, Catholics, Buddhists, Muslims, or Falun Gong.

Beijing dismisses criticisms as "arbitrary interference" by foreign nations, but what about its own arbitrary interference in the lives of dissidents and religious groups?

The United States is right to point out that not only is the mainland failing to live up to international human rights standards, but the Central Government is breaking its own constitution.

Beijing has responded by releasing its own human-rights report about the US. The report highlights issues of campaign financing, gun control, execution, poor prison conditions, racism, sexual discrimination and arms expenditure. These issues certainly merit consideration, and there is nothing wrong with Beijing pointing them out. At least it engages China in conversation about "human rights". But Beijing should not resort to the old trick of simply responding to criticism with criticism. It would win friends more easily by beginning to consider changes to the system.