Trump’s Human Rights Silence On China Marks Sharp Shift In US Diplomacy

WASHINGTON, DC – President Donald Trump’s apparent reluctance to raise human rights concerns during his latest engagement with Chinese President Xi Jinping marks a significant departure from past American diplomacy toward China, according to a report by The Guardian.

The report said Trump gave a restrained response when asked before leaving for Beijing whether he would raise the case of jailed Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai with Xi.

“I’ll bring him up,” Trump said, before adding, “It’s like saying to me, ‘If Comey ever went to jail, would you let him out?’ It might be a hard one for me.”

Trump was referring to former FBI Director James B Comey, a frequent political critic.

According to The Guardian, the limited emphasis on human rights in current US-China talks reflects broader political changes in both countries.

The report noted that previous US presidents publicly raised issues such as religious freedom, Tibet and political prisoners during official engagements with Beijing.

Former US President George W Bush attended a church service in Beijing in 2008 to advocate religious freedom, while former US President Barack Obama urged then Chinese President Hu Jintao during a 2009 state visit to reopen dialogue with the Dalai Lama, the exiled spiritual leader of Tibet.

The report also said both Bush and Obama had faced criticism over alleged human rights abuses linked to the US-led “war on terror,” but their public support for minorities and activists in China was welcomed by sections of China’s civil society movement.

According to The Guardian, one of the most prominent examples of US intervention came in 2012 when the Obama administration helped Chinese human rights lawyer Chen Guangcheng leave China after escaping house arrest.

The report highlighted growing concerns among activists over shrinking civil liberties in China under President Xi Jinping, who since taking power in 2012 has overseen a crackdown on dissent, civil society groups, religious minorities and activists.

“These are very, very difficult times for human rights defenders,” Sophie Richardson, co-executive director of Chinese Human Rights Defenders, told The Guardian. “I don’t think any democratic government has really kept pace in its interventions with Beijing.”

The report also cited disbarred Chinese human rights lawyer Ren Quanniu, who said the Chinese Communist Party now “seems immune to so-called condemnations and the international community.”

According to The Guardian, China has increasingly dismissed Western criticism as hypocritical, particularly after criticism of US domestic issues and foreign policy actions. The report noted that in 2021, China’s State Council released a report on alleged human rights violations in the United States that opened with the phrase, “I can’t breathe,” the final words of George Floyd.

Despite concerns over Trump’s softer tone, the US President said human rights issues were discussed during this week’s summit with Xi. Speaking to Fox News while returning home, Trump said he had raised both Jimmy Lai’s case and the detention of several Christian pastors in China.

Trump said Xi was “seriously considering” releasing some detained religious leaders targeted during recent crackdowns on Christians.

However, according to The Guardian report, Trump still described Jimmy Lai’s release as a “tough one,” despite the 78-year-old media mogul receiving bipartisan support in the United States. (IANS)

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