Equality plays vital role in human rights talks

• Source: Global Times
• [03:55 May 14 2010]
• Comments

Time is on the side of China. Its booming economy and rising clout are giving it new muscles in talks with the US. And, numerous realities demonstrate the substantive human rights progress the nation has made.

China has successfully fed a quarter of the world's population. Thanks to the vast technological potential of cyberspace, more people at the grass-roots level are having their voices heard. It is no exaggeration to say that the material prosperity brought by steady economic growth, has given Chinese more freedom to choose and to develop than ever before.

There is no denying that a lot of credit for human rights improvements should be given to China's interaction with the West.

But it is China itself that has geared itself up and found an innovative way forward through the human rights maze.

When it comes to the human rights priorities of both countries, a huge gap between is evident. As most online complaints are about such human rights-related issues as social justice, the Chinese government is under mounting pressure to tackle them. In contrast, whenever the US talks about human rights, dissidents or Falun Gong come first.

Human rights, though a concept borrowed from the West, represent a universal value cherished by all civilizations. Just as in the US, there remains a lot of room for China to improve.

Relieving the once strained bilateral ties with the US and advancing human rights demand concrete steps.

The upcoming human rights dialogue may start a move in that direction.

The easy temptation of teaching China like a schoolchild must be resisted. Mutual learning is the only option that will create forward movement.