Foreign Ministry condemns US resolution on human rights

By Li Xiang (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-08-01 09:03

The government Thursday condemned a US congress resolution on China's human rights situation and urged Washington to curb the "odious" conduct of anti-China legislators.

"The United States should firmly curb the odious conduct of a small group of anti-China lawmakers," Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said.

He was speaking in response to a resolution passed by the US House of Representatives on Wednesday that called on China to immediately stop "abusing" human rights and to end its support for Myanmar and Sudan.

The resolution said the action is needed to ensure the Beijing Olympics "takes place in an atmosphere that honors the Olympic traditions of freedom and openness".

It also demanded US President George W. Bush make a strong public statement on China's human rights situation during the Games.

"The resolution itself is blasphemy to the Olympic spirit, and is against the common wishes of people around the world, including people in the United States," Liu said.

He said the bill is a malicious attempt to politicize and sabotage the Olympics, and urged anti-China legislators in Congress to see clearly the situation and change their course to avoid further harming their own image.

The spokesman also criticized a US senator's accusation that China ordered foreign-owned hotels to install government software and hardware to monitor Internet activities during the Olympics.

"The accusation is indeed unfair. Privacy is respected and protected in China," he said, adding the security measures adopted by Chinese hotels are in line with standard international practice.

Liu urged relevant American figures to give up their biases and stop making irresponsible accusations that create disturbances among the American public.