China's Foreign Ministry has rejected an Amnesty International report that accused Beijing of not living up to promises to improve human rights for the 2008 Olympics despite death penalty reforms and increased freedoms for foreign reporters.
The ministry released a statement yesterday that said the government was improving its legal system and promoting democracy: "We are conscientiously fulfilling our promise for the Olympics.
"The progress China has achieved in human rights cannot be slandered by a report from an individual organization with political prejudice," it said.
Amnesty's report, released yesterday, cataloged a wide range of continuing human-rights abuses, including extensive use of detention without trial by police, persecution of civil-rights activists and the use of new methods to rein in the domestic media and censor the Internet.
The report called on the International Olympic Committee to push Beijing more to improve its human rights record, especially on issues relating to the Olympics.
The report said if private discussions were not working, the "IOC should consider making these concerns public, especially with the Olympics little more than a year away."
The IOC said yesterday that it needed more time before commenting on the Amnesty report.
Andrew Nathan, chairman of Colombia University's political science department, said it wasn't a surprise that China hadn't lived up to its commitments since winning the bid.
He said the government had made a few "cosmetic changes," but generally they've been "tightening rather than liberalizing" rights restrictions.
Meanwhile, China is continuing to deny Canadian officials access to a Uighur-Canadian jailed earlier this month for terrorism, but Canada's foreign minister said yesterday that he had been told the man had not been mistreated.
Huseyin Celil was given a life sentence for "terrorist activities and plotting to split the country," state media said.
"I, of course, raised the case of Mr Celil and in particular expressed our deep disappointment that we have thus far been denied access to this Canadian citizen," Foreign Minister Peter MacKay told a news conference in Beijing.
MacKay said the Celil case had been one of the main talking points in a four-hour meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi (楊潔箎), adding that he was especially worried by allegations Celil had been tortured.
Typhoon Usagi yesterday had weakened into a tropical storm, but a land warning issued by the Central Weather Administration (CWA) was still in effect in four areas in southern Taiwan. As of 5pm yesterday, Tropical Storm Usagi was over waters 120km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), the southernmost tip of Taiwan proper, and was moving north at 9kph, CWA data showed. The storm was expected to veer northeast later yesterday. It had maximum sustained winds of 101kph, with gusts of up to 126kph, the data showed. The CWA urged residents of Kaohsiung, Pingtung County, Taitung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春) to remain alert to
ONE LAST TALK: While Xi said that Taiwan was a ‘red line,’ Biden, in what is likely his last meeting with Xi as president, called for an end to China’s military activity around Taiwan China’s military intimidation and economic coercion against Taiwan are the main causes of tensions that are destabilizing peace in the Taiwan Strait, Taipei said yesterday while thanking US President Joe Biden for expressing Washington’s firm stance of maintaining peace and stability in the region. Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) met on Saturday for their third meeting and their first talks in seven months on the sidelines of the APEC forum in Lima, Peru. It was likely Biden’s last meeting as president with Xi. During their conversation, Biden reiterated the US’ opposition to any unilateral change to the “status quo” from either
Taiwan would participate in the 2026 APEC summit to be hosted by China after Beijing promised it would ensure the personal safety of attendees, Taiwanese national security sources said yesterday. The APEC Leaders’ Machu Picchu Declaration announced yesterday said that China would host the APEC summit in 2026. Beijing proposed hosting the summit shortly before this year’s gathering began on Friday, a national security official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Many APEC members expressed concerns about China hosting the event and said that prior communication over the decision was insufficient, the official said. Taiwan brought up concerns about legal “guidelines” China announced in
MEET AND GREET: The White House, which called the interaction ‘just a handshake,’ did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether Biden planned to visit Taiwan’s envoy to the APEC summit, Lin Hsin-i (林信義), on Friday invited US President Joe Biden to visit Taiwan. During the APEC Leaders’ Informal Dialogue, Lin, who represented President William Lai (賴清德) at the summit, spoke with Biden and expressed gratitude to the outgoing US president for his contribution to improving bilateral ties between Taipei and Washington over the past four years, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. Lin and Biden exchanged views during the conversation, with Lin extending an invitation to Biden to visit Taiwan, it said. Biden is to step down in January next year, when US president-elect Donald Trump is
RSS