Hillary Clinton meets Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao. | Getty Images
Secretary of State Hilary Clinton is in China, talking about the environment and other issues, but not talking much about human rights, a different tone from when she was first lady.
The New York Times reports:
It was a stark contrast to 1995, when Mrs. Clinton, then first lady, gave a now-legendary speech in Beijing at a United Nations conference, in which she cataloged abuses against women and concluded, “human rights are women’s rights and women’s rights are human rights.”
Her change in direction might an indication of the Obama administration’s focus on global climate change. Still, some human rights groups, including Amnesty International, were upset that Clinton would not significantly address human rights on her first visit to China as secretary of State.
Amnesty released a statement saying it was shocked that Clinton would not consider human rights as a top priority. The statement said, in part:
The United States is one of the only countries that can meaningfully stand up to China on human rights issues. But by commenting that human rights will not interfere with other priorities, Secretary Clinton damages future U.S. initiatives to protect those rights in China.
Clinton defended her decision not to focus on human rights. As CNN reported:
“Human rights cannot interfere with the global economic crisis, the global climate change crisis and the security crises,” Clinton said in talks with China’s foreign minister.
The AP reported that dissidents were being detained while Clinton was visiting.
Should human rights vioaltions in China be an integral part of our foreign relations with that nation? Is the Obama adminsitration, including Clinton, moving in the right direction with China by focusing on global issues, including climate change?
Jamie Riley is the P-D letters editor and gatekeeper of the letters blog. Before joining the editorial page in May 2005, she was a reporter and page designer. Jamie lives in University City with her husband, Charles, daughter, Elise, and the world's best Jack Russell terrier, Logan, better known as Stinky. 
For those who like to read comments for themselves:
http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2009a/02/119432.htm
http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2009a/02/119433.htm
Report this comment
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
devilcat, you are absolutely right. You are absolutely off topic too. We are talking about China here, which easily leads the world in just about every human rights violation imaginable. The Clintons have milked a lot of campaign dollars out of that country, and now Billiary is shunning human rights for economic concerns. I thought Obama was horrified at Gitmo? I thought he was all for reaching out to other peoples and becoming a more compassionate and caring world. Apparently not…
Report this comment
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Talk about human rights abuse, What about the United States concentration camps: Abu Grab, Gitmo, etc. We have no business telling other countries what their internal policies should be.
Report this comment
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Is this what professional lying gets you?
Why are we living in a society where continual lying gets you ultimate political power?
Report this comment
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Think! You’re so bad… ;’)
But where’s the investigative journalism on this
trip? Did anyone with the press corps sneak into her baggage compartment (not, it’s not a sexual innuendo!) and try to find the obligatory suitcase
full of cash which usually ensues when a “Clinton” visits with his or her chi-com masters from the PRC?
C’mon “free press”–we’re falling down on the job
here aren’t we? Is this the same press which felt
free to speculate on conflicts of interest between
Vice President Cheney and Haliburton continually?
But of course the focus of Comrade Hillary would be on “climate” and “greenhouse emissions” when she
went to the PRC–then there’s a vague suggestion
of even-handedness when our domestic energy production
and manufacturing have the thumb-screws tightened
down a few turns more.
Why bring up the issue of human rights violations? We officially don’t have any here so we don’t want to engage them in a dialog–wouldn’t want to wind up having to release Matt Hale or apologize to David Duke, or James Traficant or (hades forfend!) reinstate John Demjanjuk’s citizenship (is the poor old guy still alive?).
No, that sleeping dog is better left lying. Dredging our human rights abuses up would look bad for the current party-in-power.
Report this comment
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
China has zero incentive to improve on either front. They will let us become less efficient by restricting our behavior and instituting things like affirmative action while they do as they please. This is what we call free trade.
Report this comment
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
The economy is an important issue and there is much pressure to work together to get it back on track, but it is more pressing than human rights?
Are we trampling our principles in order to get the economy back on track? If we back down on the importance of human rights for the expediency building the economy,what does that say about our priorities and the cost of human suffering?
Dan Decker
http://www.weeklypoint.com/
Report this comment
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Details of Clinton’s proposal for how China can save the planet.
AP — Beijing
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with Chinese communists today to propose a solution to the ever increasing carbon dioxide emissions from the country. “The great nation of China is struggling with an overwhelming population that cannot possibly continue to sustain itself”, Clinton said. “With the Clinton-Obama plan, we can reduce carbon dioxide emissions in this country by 50%”.
While her proposal included modest descreasing of industrial polutants, the most controversial, and reportedly more effective plan, directly addresses the population explosion in the country.
Under the Clinton-Obama plan, the following policies would be implemented:
* Age limits for Chinese citizens. 70 is the new retirement age, with retirement taking place underground.
* Population controls to keep growth stagnant, if not declining. Forced abortions are already in practice. Abortions would be extended to the 30th trimester — focusing mostly on the least productive members of society.
* Finally, carbon dioxide and methane capture devices would be required for all citizens.
* Cremation of aborted citizens also was outlawed. Recycling of the discarded material is now mandatory. This provision alone hopes to reduce the dependency on livestock by 5% — further reducing methane and carbon dioxide emissions.
Reportedly, Chinese officials were ecstatic and were already implementing some of the population control measures.
Report this comment
Like or Dislike:
0 
0