Report presents mixed picture of rights in Taiwan

The US State Department annual report criticized China, along with Cuba, Myanmar, North Korea and Russia.

China’s State Council Information Office, or Cabinet spokesman’s office, issued its own annual assessment of the US’ human rights record in response, and this year it dwelt on the US’ economic woes.

“The United States not only has a terrible domestic human rights record, it is also the main source of many human rights disasters worldwide,” the Chinese report said, Xinhua news agency reported.

“Especially [at] a time when the world is suffering serious human rights disasters caused by the global financial crisis sparked by the US sub-prime crisis, the US government has ignored its own grave human rights problems and reveled in accusing other countries,” it said.

China’s Foreign Ministry, in a separate statement, also condemned US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi for comments earlier this week honoring “the many brave Tibetans who have sacrificed their lives fighting for freedom.”

Additional reporting by Shih Hsiu-chuan and reuters, beijing