China's assessment of the human rights record of the United States
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Annually since 2001 (with the exception of the year 2003), the People's Republic of China has been publishing reports on the annual human rights record in the United States of America, as its response to the criticisms from the United States on China's human rights issues. These reports, entitled "Human Rights Record of the United States", and published by the Information Office of the State Council, attack the state of human rights in the United States and have been published subsequent to the "Country Reports on Human Rights Practices" for mainland China by the United States Department of State, which all reports cite in the first paragraph.
The 2002 documents attempt to blunt U.S. criticism of the PRC by alleging violations of rights and noting social problems such as crime and poverty. The reports do not significantly criticize the United States for violating freedom of speech or freedom of the press. They do charge that the United States political system is undemocratic (citing the 2000 US presidential election as an example), that the justice system is racially biased and excessive, that workers have little protection against corporate abuse, and that the US "sabotage the world's peace and stability" through international military actions. They further detail the economic and social situation of the US and describe it as a human rights violation, thereby using an expanded definition of human rights.
The Human Rights Record of the United States in 2003, published on March 1, 2004, again criticises the human rights record of the United States from six aspects: personal freedom and safety, political rights, labour conditions, racial discrimination, conditions of women, children and the elderly and US' infringement upon human rights in other countries. The report claims that the USA PATRIOT Act has "encroached upon rights and freedom of citizens, especially the people of ethnic minorities". It also argues that the freedom of press has been neglected, citing examples like the firing of Peter Arnett and limited access to al-Jazeera television broadcasts. The report put an emphasis on the U.S. military actions abroad, including the unauthorised War on Iraq in March 2003. The detention without trial of over 3,000 Taliban and Al-Qaeda suspects is cited as another example of the United States' infringement upon human rights of non-US citizens. The report concludes, as usual, that the United States should "reflect on its erroneous position and behavior on human rights, and stop its unpopular interference with other countries' internal affairs under the pretext of promoting human rights. "
Critics of the People's Republic of China's report say it contains nothing of substance but disconnected allegations intended to divert attention from PRC's own troubling record. The target audience is mainly Chinese people and the United States' report is almost unavailable in China. Supporters say that just as the United States is free to criticise China, China should also be free to criticise the United States.