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U.S. Department of State Office of the Spokesman Press Statement

Press Statement by James P. Rubin, Spokesman
January 11, 1999

State Department Hosts Bilateral
Human Rights Dialogue With China

At the June 1998 summit between President Clinton and President Jiang, the United States and China agreed that "candid dialogue is an important element for resolving...differences." In that spirit, the United States today resumes its official bilateral human rights dialogue with the Government of China.

The U.S. delegation, led by Harold Hongju Koh, Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, will include key officials from the Departments of State and Justice and the National Security Council. The Chinese delegation, led by Wang Guangya, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs, will include officials from the Ministries of Justice, Public Security and Foreign Affairs.

Bilateral dialogues offer the U.S. the chance to pursue a frank and full exchange of our views with counterparts in other governments. Such dialogues are not limited to China--in fact, today we also are conducting a similar dialogue with the Government of Mexico.

The dialogue provides us the opportunity to raise our concerns about the human rights situation in China, including the recent disturbing and counterproductive arrest, trial, and sentencing of a number of democracy activists for the peaceful expression of their political beliefs.

We will address the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms through the rule of law, including legal reform and due process. We will encourage China to ratify and adhere to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and other human rights instruments.

As President Clinton has said, we hope to see China to "adopt a more open, freer political system in which basic political and civil rights [are] recognized. ...[T]hey can only achieve their full greatness in the world of the 21st century if they allow the widest possible latitude for personal imagination and personal freedom."

We look forward to what we hope will be a candid exchange. We have clear differences with China on many human rights issues. It is our hope that the dialogue will help to narrow these differences and engender positive changes in the human rights situation in China.

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