Beijing prepared to resume rights dialogue with US

China US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice yesterday that it was willing to resume a human-rights dialogue with Washington, a move that could be aimed at defusing criticism surrounding its hosting of the 2008 Olympics.

China off the dialogue in 2004 after Washington urged a UN watchdog to condemn what it called Beijing's backsliding on rights.

"We are ready to resume the human rights dialogue," Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi (楊潔箎) told reporters at a news conference with Rice, who was in Beijing on a one-day visit.

"We are willing to have exchanges and interactions with the US and other countries on human rights on a basis of mutual respect, equality and non-interference in each others' internal affairs," he said.

Rights have been using the Games to put pressure on China, which they say is the world's leading jailer of journalists and which lacks an independent judiciary as it cracks down on political dissent and strictly controls the media.

Rice said she raised the issues with Yang.

"I have expressed to the minister our continuing concerns about human rights and religious freedom in China [and] the importance of resuming a human rights dialogue between the United States and China," she said.

"We do this in a spirit of respect but these issues are very near and dear to America," she said.

During the meeting with Yang, Rice's delegation raised specific cases, a US official said.

Meanwhile, Rice urged China to use all its influence with North Korea to ensure that Pyongyang moved ahead quickly with nuclear disarmament.

"I'm expecting from China what I'm expecting from others -- that we will use all influence possible with the North Koreans to convince them that it's time to move forward," Rice said after her meeting with Yang.

"We are at the cusp of something very special here. Now is the time to move on, time to continue the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, which is in everyone's interest," she said.

China the six-country talks that are aimed at ending North Korea's nuclear programs.

Rice the US would keep its commitments made in the six-party process, as long as North Korea did.

For his part, Yang sought to highlight "important progress" that had already been made in the six-party process, despite the current delays, while saying that China was in close talks with the North Korean government.

Rice up her one-day visit with meetings with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (溫家寶) and President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤).

DEFENSE NEEDS

In other news from Beijing, the military's newspaper said yesterday that China needs to increase defense spending to keep pace with economic growth and overcome historic shortfalls.

The People's Liberation Army (PLA) budget last year was US$45 billion, a rise of 17.8 percent on the previous year. It's budget for this year is likely to be unveiled before the national parliament meets for its annual session early next month.

The Pentagon has estimated the true military budget could be more than double the public number. Many countries have urged Beijing to explain more clearly how the PLA is spending its extra money.

But in an unusually blunt piece of public lobbying, the Liberation Army Daily warned of grave consequences if increases in defense spending did not continue, arguing that the rises were making up for slimmed budgets for much of the 1980s and 1990s, when economic priorities squeezed spending.

"When economic conditions improve, this [defense spending] shortfall must be compensated. Otherwise there will be dire consequences," the paper said.