Clinton to Bush: Skip Olympics

Protesters gather outside as talks begin in Washington

(NEWSER) - Chinese officials arrived in Washington today for a round of high-level talks, and were greeted with a light scolding from Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton for their government’s recent crackdown on dissent. “We have a vigorous disagreement in the area of human rights,” Biden said in his opening remarks, while Chinese Vice Premier Wang Qishan and State Councilor Dia Bingguo watched. “We have to be honest with each other.” Hillary Clinton, meanwhile, promised “candid discussions” about human rights, the Huffington Post reports. More»

American criticism just a 'political tool,' says Beijing

(NEWSER) - The US should take a hard look in the mirror before it criticizes other countries over human rights, China says. “The United States ignores its own severe human rights problems,” said a Chinese report, “treating human rights as a political tool to vilify other countries and to advance its own strategic interests.” The rejoinder comes after Hillary Clinton warned of “negative trends” in China amid the disappearance of activist artist Ai Weiwei, Reuters reports. More»

(NEWSER) - Judges in Spain are pressing human rights cases against top officials around the world, prompting threats abroad and criticisms at home, the Washington Post reports. Invoking so-called universal jurisdiction, judges are probing 16 cases, including US approval of torture and Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip. But nervous Spanish lawmakers reacted by voting to limit the nation's judicial reach. More»

Long critical of Beijing, speaker will focus on environment in visit

(NEWSER) - Like Hillary Clinton before her, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will sidestep Beijing's human rights record on her weeklong trip to China that began today, reports the Washington Post. Pelosi, who has been a vocal critic of the Tiananmen Square massacre and Chinese policies on Tibet, says the focus of her trip will be climate change. More»

Sometimes confrontation isn't best tactic, administration suggests

(NEWSER) - Human-rights workers had high hopes for the Obama administration after President Bush’s inconsistent, too-hot-too-cold policies—but so far, the Washington Post reports, activists think President Obama has let rights take a back seat to more pressing concerns. For example, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said pushing China on human rights “can’t interfere with the global economic crisis, the global climate change crisis, and the security crisis.” More»