Obama Mentions Human Rights with China's Hu Amid Pressure
WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama made a brief mention of human rights as he welcomed China's president, Hu Jintao, Wednesday morning.
While calling for collaboration during a state arrival ceremony at the White House, Obama stated, "History shows that societies are more harmonious, nations are more successful, and the world is more just, when the rights and responsibilities of all nations and all people are upheld, including the universal rights of every human being."
His speech comes amid pressure from advocates, victims and policymakers who have urged him to broach the subject of China’s many human rights concerns during Hu's four-day state visit.
Reps. Chris Smith (R-NJ) of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and Frank Wolf (R-Va.) were critical of the president’s decision to host a state dinner for the Chinese leader.
“The Chinese government has done little in past 13 years, almost nothing quite frankly in the past 13 years to deserve the honor of a White House State dinner,” said Wolf on Tuesday.
Smith agreed that meetings with leaders like Hu are important, but stated that the president would have been better served holding a “working lunch” where he could address the leader’s gross endorsement of civil liberties violations.
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