Hu claims great progress on human rights
2011-01-19 22:39
Washington - China has made "enormous progress" on human rights but there is still a lot of room for improvement, Chinese President Hu Jintao said on Wednesday on a state visit to the US.
Pressed a second time to comment on alleged rights abuses in China after a first question appeared to be lost in translation, Hu said China was "always committed" to the protection and promotion of human rights.
"China recognises and also respects the universality of human rights but at the same time we do believe that we do need to take into account the different national circumstances when it comes to human rights," he said.
"China is a developing country with a huge population and also a developing country (at a) crucial stage of reform," he explained, while admitting "a lot needs to be done in China in terms of human rights."
