China Says Human Rights Never So Good, Will Get Better

BEIJING, Feb 17, 2000 -- (Agence France Presse) When it comes to human

rights, the Chinese people have never had it so good as they do now,

according to a government report published on Thursday.

The "Fifty Years of Progress in China's Human Rights" white paper comes

ahead of March's meeting of the UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva

where the US has pledged to table a censure motion against Beijing.

It also comes amid intense criticism of current human rights abuses in

China. The US State Department and human rights groups described 1999 as

the worst year for rights since 1989, when democracy campaigners were

massacred on Tiananmen square.

"The situation of human rights in China has seen tremendous changes,"

said the report, saying that Chinese now enjoy "unprecedented freedom

and democracy".

The 15,000-word report, the ninth human rights white paper issued by the

State Council since 1991, reiterated China's long-held view that it must

put the priority of feeding and improving the lot of its 1.3 billion

people ahead of Western interpretations of human rights.

It said 50 years of Communist rule had doubled life expectancy to 70,

and that the amount of people living in poverty had fallen from 250

million in 1978 to just 4.2 million.

The report put the poverty level at 1,318 yuan (158 dollars) per year,

and the average income of China's 800 million rural population was 2,162

(260 dollars).

"China cannot copy the mode of human rights development of the developed

Western countries," said the report, adding that the "right to

subsistence and development," had to come first.

The paper reiterated Beijing's view that it can always improve its human

rights situation, but not at the cost of stability and economic

development.

China has come under particular fire for its ongoing crackdowns on both

political dissent, in particular the banned China Democracy Party (CDP),

and the outlawed Falungong spiritual movement.

Rights groups say several thousand Falungong have been rounded up across

China this month. China admitted to detaining 35,000 between July and

November, and sentenced group leaders to up to 18 years in jail.

A prominent member of the CDP was jailed for six years on Wednesday, the

21st CDP member to be jailed for "subversion" since December 1998.

Another 15 are awaiting trial.

Beijing has also been strongly criticized for oppression of Buddhists

loyal to the Dalai Lama in Tibet and for clamping down on the

underground Catholic church loyal to the Pope.

The Communist Party only tolerates religious activity administered by

state organizations.

The report said that under the constitution all Chinese had the right to

freedom of expression, assembly, association, procession, demonstration

and religious belief. It added that all Chinese could protest

grievances.

But independent Chinese political, spiritual and religious groups

complain the government does not abide by these constitutional rights.

"There is no doubt that China still has problems, which is why we will

continue with improving and reforming the democratic and legal aspects,"

said State Council spokesman Qian Xiaoqian.