A screen displays the APEC logo on the National Stadium during a lights-and-fireworks rehearsal for the upcoming APEC Summit in Beijing, Nov. 4, 2014.
Last updated on: November 07, 2014 10:46 AM
BEIJING—
U.S. officials plan to press China on its human rights record as top officials began gathering in Beijing Friday ahead of major talks on boosting trade, investment and economic growth in the Pacific Rim region.
The two-day meeting of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation, which will be attended by President Barack Obama, China’s Xi Jinping and others, opens Monday. Officials from its 21 member nations are hoping to do more to facilitate trade in the region by doing things like streamlining customs regulations or regional accounting procedures.
But U.S. officials have made clear they’ll also be raising with their Chinese hosts what’s being called the “deteriorating” situation involving human rights.
“That’s why we’ve spoken out about the situation in Hong Kong and human-rights issues elsewhere in China, because respect for fundamental freedoms is now and always has been a centerpiece of American foreign policy,” Secretary of State John Kerry said in a speech this week.
U.S. National Security Adviser Susan Rice also met with American and Chinese rights advocates ahead of the summit to discuss their concerns.
Kerry, who was to meet in Beijing Friday and Saturday with his counterparts, said America’s Chinese policy is built on two “pillars:” constructively coordinating efforts where there is agreement, and constructively managing differences.
“I think that it is a ritual of U.S. diplomats of having to raise the issue, but I do not think there are any great expectations of change in China,” said Robert Manning, an analyst with the Atlantic Council, a Washington-based think-tank.
President Xi may also be more focused now on his country’s internal stability, and concerns that China’s economy is slowing down, Manning said.
“I think that [the economy] is his overwhelming preoccupation, and any protests from the United States are going to be pretty much ignored,” he said.
Meanwhile, China’s preparations for the high-profile meetings have included a stepped-up effort targeting corrupt officials who have fled overseas.
Over the past year, China’s Communist Party cracked down on corruption that has netted both high- and low-ranking officials.
