China's foreign minister Wednesday rejected criticism of its human rights record, accusing the United States of "clinging to a Cold War mentality" and "practicing double standards." Yang Jiechi was responding to questions about a State Department report released a day earlier that characterized China's human rights record as one of the most repressive in the world.The report was released five months before the Summer Olympic Games kickoff in Beijing.
Although he chided the United States and other critics of its human rights record as "making confrontation," Yang stressed that China is "ready for dialogue with the United States, as long as it is done in an environment of respect and fairness."
Despite rapid economic growth and social change in China, the report said the "authoritarian" Chinese government "continues to deny their citizens basic human rights and fundamental freedoms."
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