A leader from the U.S. organization State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor has said that talks with China are being obstructed by the country's deterioration of basic human rights, USA TODAY reports.
The US has been holding official human rights conference with China, known as the U.S.-China Human Rights Dialogue, since 1990. However, China put the talks on hold during the George W. Bush administration after it's disapproval at the United Nations for repressing citizens. This year's talks mark the 18th meeting between the two countries.
Uzra Zeya, assistant secretary of the organization, spoke during the conference when it began on Tuesday. Zeya noted how Chinese authorities have targeted family members of human rights activists, like jailed Nobel Peace prize receipient Liu Xiaobo and blind lawyer Chen Guangcheng, and the increasing control over Tibetans and Uighurs in western China.
At a news conference in Beijing on Friday, Zeya mentioned that members on the US-side of the talks, including officials from White House, State Department, Department of Justice, and Environmental Protection Agency counted more than eight specific cases with China and their treatment of citizens -- including detained legal activist Xu Zhiyong and missing lawyer Gao Zhisheng -- hoping to learn about their status and whereabouts.
"In some cases, we were able to receive some information," Zeya said, but "overall, it fell short of expectations."
"The two sides do talk but have little to show for it," Zeya said. "The human rights dialogue risks producing very little unless there's a stronger push towards measurables at the end instead of just talking."
While the Obama administration has made clear that the talks remain prioritized, China has not demonstrated as much of an interest in complaints made by the US about human rights. The Dui Hua Foundation, a US non-profit that advocates for human rights through dialogue, claims that China has reduced the amount and length of such discussions.
