BEIJING: China’s top diplomat told US officials on Friday that human rights should not be used to “interfere in other countries’ internal affairs” after two days of high-level talks overshadowed by contention over the dissident Chen Guangcheng.
State Councillor Dai Bingguo, who steers Chinese diplomacy and outranks the foreign minister, said no country could claim to be perfect on human rights.
“Human rights issues should not disturb state-to-state relations, and they should not be used as an excuse to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries,” he said.
Dai was speaking at the end of the annual China-US Strategic and Economic Dialogue, while both governments were focused on negotiations over Chen, who is in a Beijing hospital after sheltering for six days in the US embassy in Beijing.
Chen initially said he planned to stay in China, but then said he wanted to spend some time in the United States.
Top China diplomat tells US not to interfere over rights
