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US State Department issued on Feb. 25 "Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2003", evaluating the human rights situations of over 190 countries and regions including China, claiming that human rights in many countries are poor, not in line with the US standard and some countries are deteriorating in key fields of human rights.
Nevertheless, there do exist countries with greatly improved human rights situation for example Afghanistan and Iraq whose so-called improvements were impossible without the "merits" of US armies in overthrowing the then regime and "liberalizing" the two countries. As always, there was no word on the human rights situation of the United States itself in the report.
The Information Office of China's State Council issued on Mar. 1 the Human Rights Record of the United States in 2003, supplementing the US report. With a multitude of factual evidence, the article shows problems of the United States in human rights and its violations of human rights in other countries.
The United States has always advocated sincerity and the tradition of admitting the mistake made. The famous story of George Washington' chopping the cherry tree was a vivid proof. Now having turned into the only super power in the world, the United States ridiculously says less truth. Not telling the truth of human rights in the United States is one example and launching Iraq war, causing great casualties and killing recently many civilians---an entire tragedy labeled as "liberalizing Iraqi people", "great improvement of human rights" --- is really confusing.
What make the Untied States act this way are the view of value of US interest highest and the sense of superiority. With super powerful national strength and advanced military weapons, the United States attempts to control the world for the greatest benefit and meanwhile sells US view of value globally with so-called democratic renovation and issues human rights report as one of the major means. The United States wages military and human rights at the same time, imposes pressure on other countries and establishes its image of "global hegemony" and "human rights guard".
However, what is clear to all is that the US attempt has been strongly resisted by many countries including its Western allies. Every year the United States issuing human rights report while shunning its own problems have been condemned by Asian, African and European countries for its mirroring others but not itself, sheer "dual standards" and those countries all want to add a word in the bad US human rights record, keeping its record
Fairly speaking no country in the world has perfect human rights situation. With different historical, cultural traditions and social and economic development, conceptions on the ways to protect and develop human rights can not be the same. The situation should not be taken as the reason for the mutual confrontation and imposing pressure among countries but should be taken as the factual background for mutual exchanges and strengthening understandings. Human rights issue is the internal affair of one country so the human rights problems in every country should be left to the respective government and people while the world's human rights issue should be solved by various countries through participation. Every country has the right to promote human rights according to its specific situation and problems. The US government should face up to its domestic human rights problems, soul-search its deeds in the international human rights because only by doing so can the United States improve relations with other countries and its image. Remaining keen on report condemning human rights of other countries every year can not but make the thing worse.
(People's Daily March 2, 2004)
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