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Clinton to discuss Tibet, human rights during China visit

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Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton listens during her joint news conference with French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner on 5 February 2009 at the State Department in Washington. Clinton will discuss Tibet and human rights among others during her China visit from 20 to 22 February. File photo/AP/Pablo Martinez Monsivais/US

Even as the Obama administration wants to build a special relationship with China, the issue of Tibet and human rights will come up for discussion when Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visits Beijing later this month, the State Department has said.

“The subjects of human rights and Tibet always come up in conversations with our Chinese counterparts, because human rights are a very important issue for the US. So I would suspect that those issues could very well come up,” State Department spokesperson, Robert Wood, told reporters after announcing about Clinton’s Asia trip.

Making her first overseas trip as Secretary of State, Clinton will visit Japan, Indonesia, South Korea and China from 16 to 22 February. “In all capitals, the Secretary will be discussing common approaches to the challenges facing the international community, including the financial markets turmoil, humanitarian issues, security and climate change,” he said.

Referring to the recent statement of Clinton that relationship with China is important for the US; Wood said the State Department will have an important role in engaging China. So far it is the Treasury Department which has had the lead role in US-China relationship, he said.

However, Wood refused to answer a question as to which Department — State or Treasury — will play a lead role in US-China relationship in Obama administration. “I am not going to get into this, you know, who has greater weight within the relationship. It’s a wide-ranging relationship, as you know,” he added.

“There are a number of humanitarian issues around the world that we are concerned about. And the Chinese are a major global player, and we want to see how we can partner with the Chinese to try and help resolve some of these horrible and horrific humanitarian situations we have — we are dealing with around the global,” Wood said on human rights issues.

During the Bush administration, the US had led the European countries in questioning China’s support to regimes and governments in Africa such as Darfur, and Myanmar in South Asia. They are very often accused of human rights violations against their own people.

Clinton will meet senior Chinese officials to develop a positive cooperative relationship between the two countries, Wood said.

Departing Washington on 15 February, Clinton will be visiting Japan from 16 to 18 February; Indonesia on 18 and 19; South Korea on 19 and 20; and China from 20 to 22 February. This will be her first overseas trip as the Secretary of State.

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