GENEVA (April 23) XINHUA - The longstanding Western attempt to pass a resolution on human rights against China was foiled again on Tuesday at the 52nd session of the UN Commission on Human Rights.

Supported by most of the developing countries, China succeeded in blocking a vote on a draft resolution sponsored by the European Union and supported by the United States. A no-action motion tabled by China was adopted by the 53-member UN Human Rights Commission by a vote of 27 to 20 with six abstentions.

It was the sixth such failure by Western countries, led by the United States, since 1990.

Diplomats here said that in order to draw as many supporters as possible, Western countries had tried to make their draft resolution look mild during internal consultations.

While recognizing the "significant transformation" and "positive developments" China had undergone in reforming its economy and legal system, the draft resolution also made unwarranted charges against China on a number of issues, including Tibet, the administration of justice and policy on religion, which are all internal affairs of China.

In tabling the no-action motion, Chinese ambassador and head of delegation Wu Jianmin said in a statement that the West-sponsored draft resolution, actually politically-motivated, cannot change its anti-China nature, no matter how nicely it is wrapped.

He said the West-sponsored resolution is directed against not only China but also all other developing countries.

He said that for six years the United States and some other Western countries had repeatedly launched vehement attacks against China, and had tried to put China in the position of defendant at the UN Commission on Human Rights.

But it was in these six years that China had made unprecedented progress in all fields, including that of human rights, he said.

"The reason for their ceaseless slander is simple: they don't like the mode of development the Chinese people have chosen," Wu said, adding that "what really interests that superpower (the United States) is domination or hegemony rather the human rights of the Chinese people."

He stressed that the Chinese people will keep to the road of their own choice no matter how many more anti-China resolutions the West will sponsor in the future.

Wu also urged the UN Commission on Human Rights to strengthen cooperation and dialogue and abandon confrontation.

During the discussion on the West-sponsored draft resolution in the Commission, many developing countries, in particular Asian nations, expressed their strong support for China.

While hailing the tremendous achievements made by China in its economic reforms as well as in promoting human rights, they also expressed strong opposition to the Western practice of politicizing human rights discussions.

The 27 countries which voted for the no-action motion tabled by China to block the anti-China resolution are China, Indonesia, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Malaysia, Cuba, Cameroon, Cote D'Ivoire, Mauritania, Angola, Gabon, Zimbabwe, Guinea, Madagascar, Mali, Uganda, Algeria, Peru, Belarus, Ukraine, Egypt, Benin and Ethiopia.

The 20 countries which voted against it are Australia, Austria, Germany, Italy, Canada, the Netherlands, Britain, the United States, France, Denmark, Japan, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Bulgaria, Ecuador, Hungary, Chile, Brazil and Malawi.

The six countries which abstained from voting are Venezuela, Colombia, Mexico, the Philippines, South Korea and Russia.