U.S. Dept. of State - IIP: The United States and China

Excerpt: Secretary of State Powell's Press Conference in Tokyo
(Stresses importance of human rights as a bilateral issue with China)

In response to questions concerning China's human rights situation at a press conference held in Tokyo July 24, Secretary of State Colin Powell said he was looking forward to discussing human rights issues with Chinese officials during his upcoming visit to Beijing.

"We believe, fundamentally, that there are human rights that are given to all people by God ... and I believe in the universality of human rights. I think it is important for us to make that point to the Chinese, that with this universality there are expectations from the international community that people would be allowed to live in peace and freedom if your nation wants to be part of an overall international order committed to peace and freedom, and democracy and the rights of individuals," Powell said.

Powell acknowledged "enormous improvements in China over the last 25 or 30 years" in this area, but added that "they still have a way to go before they would meet the standards that we would consider appropriate."

Powell stressed that these standards are not "American standards being imposed upon China, but standards that I think the civilized world and the world that believes in peace and freedom ... believe are appropriate for all nations who want to part of the international community."

"As we talk to the Chinese about accession to the World Trade Organization and how to improve our trading relations, we also have to be candid with respect to human rights," Powell said.

Following is an except of the State Department transcript of the press briefing:

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
July 24, 2001
Press Briefing by
Secretary of State Colin Powell
American Embassy Tokyo, Japan

July 24, 2001

AMBASSADOR BAKER: Ladies and gentlemen, are you ready? First let me apologize for being a little late. We've just come from a meeting with the Prime Minister and so we are a few minutes beyond what we've scheduled.

It is my pleasure, ladies and gentlemen, as U.S. Ambassador to Japan, and as a close friend and associate, to introduce to you the 65th Secretary of State, Colin Powell.

Q: Mr. Secretary, from CBS News. I would like to ask you about the trial of Gao Zhan today in Beijing which I know you are very well aware of. It seems as if the Chinese are moving these cases through the system and I wonder if that in any way tempers your concern about human rights in China.

I also notice that, as a follow-up, last night on the press plane, you talked about the need for China to understand the economic part of the international community and the human rights part of the international community, and I wonder if you would share some of those thoughts with us as well.

SECRETARY POWELL: I am pleased that they are starting to move these cases promptly through their system, but it is not individual cases that should be our sole concern. It is just the whole approach to the subject of human rights.

As we talk to the Chinese about accession to the World Trade Organization and how to improve our trading relations, we also have to be candid with respect to human rights. We believe, fundamentally, that there are human rights that are given to all people by God -- I don't shrink from that statement -- and I believe in the universality of human rights. I think it is important for us to make that point to the Chinese, that with this universality there are expectations from the international community that people would be allowed to live in peace and freedom if your nation wants to be part of an overall international order committed to peace and freedom, and democracy and the rights of individuals.

We have seen enormous improvements in China over the last 25 or 30 years, and I think that they still have a way to go before they would meet the standards that we consider appropriate. Not American standards being imposed upon China, but standards that I think the civilized world and the world that believes in peace and freedom and economic freedom especially, the standards that those nations believe are appropriate for all nations who want to part of the international community. So, our commitment to human rights is solid and firm and it will not be put at the expense of economic interests or security interests; it is part of a broad agenda that we have with China. So I look forward to discussing human rights issues, economic issues, security issues and other bilateral issues with my Chinese interlocutors later this week and next week.

(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)